Cardamom chocolate chip cookies
Pro tip:
Roll the cookie dough into 100 gram balls the night before you make, refridgerate overnight, and then bake in the morning!
Cardamom is one of my all time favorite spices there is. It has a somewhat earthy, floral, aromatic smell (with a hint of mint and citrus) that comes alive in baked goods. It’s important to air on the side of caution when adding cardamom to recipes, because it is a strong spice and adding too much can result in a soapy taste that is a little overpowering. While Cardamom is a spice that originated in India, Sweden is one of the top countries that consumes the spice. It’s mainly used in baked goods and added to a sweet dough that serves as the base for cardamom buns and Swedish cinnamon rolls, but you’ll also find it in syrups, savory dishes, and more.
One thing is for sure, cardamom pairs really well with chocolate. I recently finished a four week pop up at 3560 Taraval, a restaurant turned pop up site, and knew these would be a hit. I wanted them to be substantial in size, with lots of chocolate and a hint of cardamom without being overpowering.
This recipe is adapted from Sugar Spun Run, I had to test and tweak a few things to get the final product I was looking for here in San Francisco. One of the biggest differences I found was in the recommended bake time - but I don’t think SF landlords are known for their stellar kitchen appliances, haha.
Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 cup brown sugar firmly packed
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 tablespoon cornstarch
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoons salt
2 cups chocolate chips - I recommend using a blend of milk and dark if you can
Instructions
Cream together the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar for 3-4 minutes or until light and fluff. You can test to see if the sugar is incorporated enough by taking a small dot of the mixture and spreading between your fingers. You want it to feel like very fine sugar or no sugar texture at all.
Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract and stir to combine
In a separate bowl, sift the flour, cornstarch, baking soda and baking powder together
Add the cardamom and salt directly to the sifted flour mixture and mix until well combined
In ½ cup intervals, add the flour mixture to the butter and sugar mixture until it’s all used up
Add the chocolate into the final mixture ½ cup at a time as well, being careful not to over mix
At this stage, you can do two methods. You can chill the mixture in one bowl for 1 hour and then bake, or you can roll into balls and store overnight in the fridge pre-rolled and bake in the morning. This is what I do for my pop ups and it’s a big time saver, plus the extra chill time really helps the structure of the cookie!
Using a scale, weigh out 100 grams of dough and roll into a ball. Set into a big mixing bowl that you will continue to add the cookie dough rolls into or put onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Either option works for storing overnight!
You should end up with between 10-12 cookie dough balls (I usually get 12)
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F
Line up the cookies and gently press down on them to “stick” them to the pan
Bake for 12 minutes and rotate the pan
Bake for an additional 10 minutes and check to see if the cookies are golden around the edges
Total bake time can be anywhere from 20-26 minutes total, so be prepared to watch at the end!
When it doubt, underbake these a very small amount as they’re soft and chewy and it works well
Let cool and enjoy
Hope you love them!
Amelia 🍓
