Rebecca had been inspired by the stamped molasses cookie in Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh’s Sweet and wanted to create something similar but with a different flavor profile. She went the brown butter, muscovado sugar route and loaded it with holiday spices: cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger, and cardamom. Spiced. Brown. Butter. As Ina says: How bad can that be? I immediately ordered a set of cookie stamps, and before I knew it, I was browning butter, rolling out dough, and stamping away. As noted above, this sort of thing is a little out of my comfort zone, but with Rebecca’s detailed notes, I felt I had her by my side, encouraging me when things felt especially unfamiliar. For instance, when it came time to pack the dough into a disc, she says: “Typically sugar cookie dough needs a light hand. Not this dough. You’ll need to almost knead it to get it to adhere together.” There are so many hints like this throughout the recipe that made navigating the wonderful world of the stamped cookie a little less scary. Plus, all of the ingredients throughout the book are listed in both volume and weight, which I so appreciate more and more. The verdict: these cookies are as delicious as beautiful, and while I think every kitchen might be a little happier with the addition of a cookie stamp set in its drawers, I would make these cookies again in a second with a simple, round cutter. They are absolutely delicious, spiced perfectly for the season. Happy Baking, Friends. I hope these cookies make it into your lives sometime soon. The Cookie Book! The cookie stamps! Together, I think they would make a nice gift. 4.7 from 11 reviews As noted above, the cookies are worth making even if you don’t have a stamp set, but if you’re interested in purchasing one, this is the one I have: Starry Night Cookie Stamps. And if you’re interested in creating that fluted edge, a set of fluted cookie cutters is nice to have, too — these are great for linzer cookies as well.
Notes:
I couldn’t find muscovado sugar, so I used dark brown sugar. Making these cookies takes a bit of patience, but Rebecca’s tips and notes throughout the recipe are incredibly helpful. The dough, you will learn, needs to be at the perfect temperature—too cold, the stamp won’t leave a mark; too warm, the dough will stick to the cutter. Once you find your rhythm, the process moves along nicely.
