Best Cardamom Cookies (Soft and Chewy)
These soft and chewy Cardamom Cookies don't require any chilling, rolling, or cutting. Easy to make and ready in 30 minutes! They're buttery, tender, and speckled with cardamom sugar. The perfect make-ahead sugar cookie for the holidays, gifting, or simply sharing with family and friends.
Servings: 18
Ingredients
- 2⅔ cups all purpose flour (see note 1)
- 1½ teaspoons ground cardamom
- ¾ teaspoons baking soda
- ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room-temperature, see note 2)
- 1¾ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk (see note 3)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
Cardamom Sugar (for rolling)
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat oven to 350℉ (177℃), with rack in the center position.
- Dry ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk 2⅔ cups all purpose flour, 1½ teaspoons ground cardamom, ¾ teaspoons baking soda, ¾ teaspoons fine sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon cream of tartar. Set aside.
- Wet ingredients: Beat 1 cup unsalted butter in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or use electric beaters) until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1¾ cups granulated sugar and beat at medium speed, until very light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk and 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Mix until combined. Scatter in dry ingredients, then mix at low speed just until combined. Don't overmix the dough!
- Cardamom Sugar: In a small bowl, combine ¼ cup granulated sugar and 1 teaspoon ground cardamom.
- Scoop & roll: Scoop 3-tablespoon portions of cookie dough (golf-ball sized). Roll in the cardamom sugar mixture to coat. Arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet, leaving 2 inches (5 cm) between them. (I usually bake 6 cookies on a 18 x 13-inch baking sheet).
- Bake: Bake until the bottoms are pale golden and the sides are set, 13 to 15 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
- Flour: For best results, measure with a kitchen scale. Otherwise, fluff the flour in the container with a fork, before gently spooning it into a measuring cup and levelling off with the back of a knife. (To see ingredients listed by weight, make sure you select "Metric" - rather than "US Customary" - on the Recipe Card).
- Butter: Use unsalted butter for best results. In a pinch, you can substitute with the same quantity of salted butter. If using salted butter, continue to use the same amount of salt that the recipe calls for. It'll be a bit saltier, but the flavor difference won't be significant.
- Eggs: Use 1 whole large egg + 1 large egg yolk. You can discard the extra egg white or keep it and use in your morning eggs (like omelette or scramble) or baking (meringue, royal icing, etc).
- Storage Tips: Once cookies are fully cooled, store them in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container. They'll stay fresh for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing Tips & Baking From Frozen: You can scoop the dough into balls and freeze for baking at a later date. Arrange dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet, then freeze (uncovered) until hard. Transfer frozen dough balls to a freezer bag. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. The frozen dough can be baked straight from the freezer. For best results, bake at a lower oven temperature (325℉/165℃) for 3 to 4 minutes longer (16 to 19 minutes). This helps the cookies cook through without getting too brown.
- Recipe adapted from Sarah Kieffer's Sugar Cookies (100 Cookies cookbook).
Nutrition
Calories: 247kcal | Carbohydrates: 35g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 151mg | Potassium: 40mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 338IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 10mg | Iron: 1mg