Middle Eastern Spice Cookies – Gluten-free version

👨‍🍳 Method

To assemble

1. 1
   Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F) and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

   ⚙ Preheating the OvenOven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
2. 2
   Whip the soft butter with the sugar, to a smooth, pale mixture.

   ⚙ WhippingBowlHand mixerorStand mixerorWhisk

   💡Cream the butter soft, at room temperature: cold butter doesn't take in air, and melted butter doesn't hold it.
3. 3
   Add the eggs and vanilla and mix well.
4. 4
   Add the flour, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, nutmeg and baking powder and mix just until a dough forms.

   💡Mix in the flour only until a dough forms: long kneading develops gluten, and the cookies come out hard instead of crumbly.
5. 5
   Wrap the dough in plastic wrap until it holds together and chill 20 minutes.

   ⚙ Wrapping and Chilling the DoughPlastic wrapRefrigerator

   💡Chilling firms the butter and relaxes the gluten: the dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick to the counter and doesn't shrink in the oven.
6. 6
   Roll out the dough on a floured surface to 5 mm thick, cut out Shapes and arrange on the baking sheet, spaced apart.

   ⚙ Rolling Out DoughRolling pinCookie cutterBaking pan

   💡Roll from the center outward and give the dough a quarter turn between rolls: this keeps it even in thickness and stops it sticking to the counter. If it springs back, cover for 10–15 minutes and try again.
7. 7
   Sprinkle sesame over the cookies.
8. 8
   Bake 12–15 minutes, until the edges start to turn golden.

   ⚙ BakingOvenBaking pan

   💡Take the cookies out while they still look soft: they firm up as they cool, and long baking dries them out.

   💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
9. 9
   Cool on a rack: the cookies firm up as they cool.

   Cooling rack