Spice Love

I am so excited to be participating in this month's Sugar High Fridays. For whatever I have never participated, but when I saw this month's theme I couldn't resist. What is this month's theme, you ask? Spices! This is such a great theme because it's a perfect way to wrap up fall (the season) into a dessert. I love the smell of spices and I love how warm and cozy their scent makes my house feel. So after thinking long and hard and narrowing down my choices, I decided to make Spiced Sugar Coins. These crunchy cookies were delicious and a wonderful way to highlight how spices complement one another. The smell was incredible and, I kid you not, it smelled like a candle from Yankee Candle.

Thanks to Dessert First for choosing spices as this month's theme.

Spiced Sugar Coins
Source: Carole Bloom's The Essential Baker

6 oz (12 Tbsp) unsalted butter, softened
½ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. salt
1 extra-large egg yolk
1/3 cup granulated sugar

Place the butter in a large bowl and beet until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar and cream together well. Stop occasionally to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Add the vanilla to the mixture and blend thoroughly.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves. Add the nutmeg and salt and toss to blend. Add this mixture to the butter mixture in 3 stages. Stop after each addition to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.

Place two large sheets of wax paper on a flat surface and divide the dough evenly onto them. Use the wax paper to shape and roll the dough into cylinders about 10 inches long and 1 inch wide. Cover the cylinders tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the freezer for 45 minutes or in the fridge for at least 2 hours until firm enough to slice.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line two baking sheet with parchment paper.

Using a fork, lightly beat the egg yolk in a small bowl. Divide the sugar evenly between sheets of wax paper. Unwrap each dough cylinder and using a pasty brush or spook, coat the outside of each cylinder with egg yolk, then roll in the sugar, coating each completely.

Place a cylinder on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut each cylinder into ¼-inch thick slices.

Place the slices on the baking sheets, leaving at least 1-inch of space between them Bake for 5 minutes, then switch the sheets, and bake for another 5-6 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and cool completely on baking racks.