Grab Your Spice Islands spices and start baking these cookies!

It's time to think about two things: air conditioning and baking - and I love the idea of having my kids join me in the kitchen on hot summer days (or nights). I know my friends and family enjoy my cooking and I must give credit to the many wonderful spices I use in my recipes. I am a big believer in spices, and to me, they are nature's healthy alternative to making foods taste good by way of using natural ingredients instead of those too hard to pronounce! My go-to spices are Spice Islands - and they are in all our markets. Spices are not all created equal - here are some ideas to get your cookies baked and smiles on your kids' faces!

Spice Islands® Six Spice Honey Snaps is the perfect combination of sweet and savory and this delicious recipe created by food expert and chef Tara Bench @TaraTeaspoon is a sure winner.

Most people don’t think about the importance of spices for baking – but it is just as important and flavorful in baking as it is in cooking. The right spices can transform any recipe from good to amazing and Spice Islands® knows that not all spices are created equal. Here is a cookie recipe developed by Spice Islands® partner Tara Bench and discover her secret recipe for her crunchy, slightly chewy Six Spice Honey Snaps spiced with ginger and sweetened with honey. You won’t be able to stop at one!

To achieve such rich flavors and premium quality, Spice Islands® premium spices and seasonings adhere to strict specifications to ensure high volatile oil levels, meaning a higher quality and more flavorful product. From cultivating long term relationships with farmers throughout the world, to handpicking many of the spices, to maintaining traditions of drying many of the herbs and spices in the sun - tender care is put into each harvest to ensure the highest quality product. Every spice in Six Spice Honey Snaps imparts a mouth-watering layer of taste in every bite.

Six Spice Honey Snaps are brimming with flavor, including Spice Islands® Saigon Cinnamon, Ground Turmeric, Ground White Pepper, Ground Coriander, Ground Allspice, Ground Ginger and Fine Mediterranean Sea Salt. All cinnamon is not the same. There are two main varieties of cinnamon, Indonesian and Vietnamese. Vietnamese, which is used in the Spice Islands Saigon Cinnamon featured in this recipe, tends to have a brighter, spicy taste. The forests of Vietnam are known for their premium cinnamon. High in volatile oils, the Vietnamese cinnamon trees produce a deep, reddish-brown cinnamon with an intense fragrance and sweet, red-hot-candy-like flavor.

Spice Islands® Ground Turmeric is sourced from India, and is a cousin of ginger root, offering a rich, woody aroma and warm pungent flavor. The whole turmeric produces a gorgeous yellow color and mild, musty flavor when ground. White pepper is made from berries that have been fully ripened naturally, while black pepper is made from green berries. Spice Islands® Ground White Pepper is less aromatic than black pepper, and because of its color is perfect for use in Six Spice Honey Snaps. Spicy and sweet, Spice Islands® Ground Coriander is one of the world’s oldest spices and is typically sourced from the U.S. and Canada.

Allspice, contrary to its name, comes from one spice, from a berry. Spice Islands® Ground Allspice has a sweet flavor with notes of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg. Our Ground Ginger is sourced from China and has a pungent, lemony flavor that matches well with everything from couscous to cookies. Spice Islands® Ground Mediterranean Salt is gathered in pans, left in the warm sun and gentle breeze to evaporate naturally. The result is a pure salt that is very flavorful yet never overpowering.

So spice up your kitchen with this cookie recipe developed by Spice Islands® partner, Tara Bench, from @TaraTeaspoon.

Spice Islands® Six Spice Honey Snaps

As an option you can cut a hole in the center of these cookies using a straw or top of a #12 plain pastry tip! That way you can string them on ribbons for gifts.

Serves/Makes about 4½ dozen cookies

Work time: 1 hour

Total time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

1⅔ cups all-purpose flour

1½ teaspoons Spice Islands® Ground Saigon Cinnamon

¾ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Turmeric

¾ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground White Pepper

1 teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Coriander

¾ teaspoon Spice Islands® Ground Allspice

1½ teaspoons Spice Islands® Ground Ginger

¾ teaspoon Spice Islands® Fine Mediterranean Sea Salt

½ teaspoon baking powder

¼ teaspoon baking soda

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup sugar

1 large egg yolk

¼ cup light honey

How to Prepare:

1. In a bowl whisk together the flour, cinnamon, turmeric, white pepper, coriander, allspice, ginger, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer beat together the butter and sugar. Stir in the egg yolk and honey until combined. Add the flour mixture and stir to combine completely. Scrap the sides and bottom of the bowl and knead the dough gently so there are no dry spots.
3. Heat oven to 325ºF. Working with ¼ of the dough at a time, roll it out between two sheets of parchment paper until it is very thin, about 1/16 of an inch. Chill on a baking sheet in the freezer while you roll the remaining dough.
4. When the rolled sheets are frozen, about 50 minutes, gently peel the top parchment from one sheet, flip over onto parchment and peel the other layer of parchment off; cut into 2¼-inch round cookies. Working quickly use a small spatula to transfer cookies to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut holes from centers if desired. Bake until cooked through, 9 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely before removing from the parchment.
5. Re-roll scraps, freeze in the same manner and cut more cookies for a total of about 43. Cookies can be stored airtight for up to 2 weeks.

From appetizers to the main dish to dessert, flavorful seasonings can make a good recipe great. To find more ideas for spicing up your menu visit SpiceIslands.com.