Active Time

　　35 min

　　Total Time

　　5 1/2 hr (includes chilling)

　　Yvonne M. Parnes of Batavia, Ohio, got the recipe for these rich, buttery cookies in an e-mail from the McCormick spice company. We like them plain, but drizzled with espresso icing and bittersweet chocolate, they are truly out of this world.

　　

Ingredients

Makes about 6 dozen

　　

For cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

　　1 teaspoon baking powder

　　3/4 teaspoon salt

　　1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom

　　1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

　　1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

　　2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened

　　1 1/4 cups granulated sugar

　　2 large eggs

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　

For espresso and chocolate icings

1 teaspoon instant-espresso powder

　　1 teaspoon vanilla

　　1 1/2 to 2 tablespoons milk

　　1 cup confectioners sugar

　　3 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), melted

　　

Special Equipment

2 small heavy-duty sealable plastic bags (for icing; not pleated)

　　

Make cookies:

Step 1

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, and allspice in a bowl.

　　

Step 2

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 2 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 4 minutes with a handheld. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until just combined.

　　

Step 3

Form dough into 2 (12-inch) logs (1 1/2 inches in diameter), each on its own sheet of plastic wrap. Use plastic wrap and your hands to roll, press, and square off sides of logs. Chill logs on a baking sheet until slightly firm, about 1 hour, then smooth logs with plastic wrap and flat side of a ruler to achieve straight sides. Chill logs on baking sheet until firm, about 1 hour.

　　

Step 4

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F.

　　

Step 5

Cut enough scant 1/4-inch-thick slices from a log with a knife to fill 2 large ungreased baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart (chill remaining dough, wrapped in plastic wrap).

　　

Step 6

Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 10 to 12 minutes total. Cool on sheets 3 minutes, then transfer to racks to cool completely. Make more cookies with remaining dough on cooled baking sheets.

　　

Ice cookies:

Step 7

Whisk together espresso powder, vanilla, and 1 1/2 tablespoons milk until espresso powder is dissolved, then add confectioners sugar and enough additional milk to make a thick but pourable icing. Spoon into a sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.

　　

Step 8

Spoon melted chocolate into another sealable bag and snip 1/8 inch off a bottom corner.

　　

Step 9

Pipe some espresso icing and chocolate over each cookie and let cookies stand on racks until icing sets, about 2 hours.

　　Cooks' notes:

　　· Dough logs can be chilled 5 days or frozen, wrapped in a double layer of plastic wrap, 1 month (thaw in refrigerator just until they can be sliced). · Cookies (with or without icing) keep, layered between sheets of wax paper or parchment, in an airtight container at room temperature 1 week.