Spiced cookies, spiced up with cinnamon and cardamom. These cookies are soft, chewy cookies that are simple to make and have a lightly spiced taste.

If you like cookies that are lightly spiced, these cookies are for you. The cinnamon and cardamom give these cookies a lightly spicy taste. These are perfect for the holidays, but I love making them year-round.
The cookies are dunked in water and then a mixture of sugar and cardamom before they are baked. The result is a crackly-topped cookie that is slightly crispy on top.
Helpful tips
- All of the ingredients should be at room temperature before starting this recipe.
- Read through the recipe first. Always preheat the oven before placing the unbaked cookies in it.
- As you go through the steps of the recipe, make sure that all of the ingredients are mixed together well. Results from under-mixing ingredients can leave the cookies with an undesirable appearance and taste.
- If you don’t have parchment paper or a baking mat, lightly greasing the baking sheet with shortening will work.
- The amount of cookies that are made from this recipe may vary. It may change if the cookie balls are made bigger or smaller than what is suggested in the recipe.
- Place cookies about 1 1/2 to 2 -inches apart on cookie sheet. These cookies spread out while they bake. If too close they will bake together. If they do bake together, simply cut them apart.
- Watch the cookies as they bake. Different ovens bake differently, so time may differ from oven to oven.
- These cookies freeze well. Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Ingredients that you will need for spice cookies
- Butter
- Shortening
- Brown Sugar
- Sugar
- Eggs
- Vanilla
- Flour
- Baking Soda
- Salt
- Cream Of Tartar
- Cinnamon
- Cardamom
Steps for making the recipe for Spiced Cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, or baking mat, or lightly grease it.
Steps one and two
Butter, shortening, granulated sugar, and brown sugar are added to a large mixing bowl. Once the ingredients are creamed together the two eggs are added.
Steps three and four
The vanilla is added to the batter and mixed in. Flour, baking soda, cream of tartar, salt, and cinnamon are sifted together.
Steps five and six
The flour mixture is added to the cookie dough. It is then mixed until well combined.
Steps seven and eight
Take two small bowls. Add water to one of them and the sugar and cardamom to the other bowl. After the dough is rolled into balls, they are then dipped in the water and then the sugar mixture.
Steps nine and ten
After the balls are dunked in the water and sugar mixture they are placed on a prepared baking sheet. They are baked until the edges are lightly browned.
More cookie recipes
- Chocolate Chip Cookies
- No-Bake Marshmallow Chocolate Cookies
- Lemon Poppy Seed Cookies
- Angel Wing Cookies
If you make these spiced cookies I would love to hear about it! Please leave me a comment and a rating.

Spiced Cookies
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 3/4 cup flour
- 1 teaspoon soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Topping –
- 3 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
- Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking sheets.
- In a medium bowl cream the shortening and sugar until well blended. Add the eggs and mix until they are mixed well. Mix in the vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cream of tartar, and cinnamon. Add the flour mixture to the sugar and butter mixture, and mix well.
- Add water to a bowl (doesn’t matter how much because you will only be dipping the top of the cookie into the water). In another bowl combine the sugar and cardamom
- Roll into about 1 1/2-inch balls. Dip the top of the cookie into the water, then into the sugar and cardamom mixture. Place the sugar and cardamom side up on the baking sheet.
- Place cookies in the preheat oven and bake for 10 to 12 or until the edges start turning a light brown.
- Remove from the oven and place on a cooling rack until the cookies start to cool down. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place on the cooling rack and cool completely.
Notes
- For this recipe, all ingredients should be at room temperature.
- Preheat the oven before baking the cookies. The best practice is to turn the oven on when you start the recipe.
- Mix the dough well after adding each ingredient.
- When placing the cookie balls on the baking sheet for baking, place them about 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart.
- These cookies freeze well. Place the cookies in an airtight container for freezing for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
This recipe was originally published on May 15, 2015. It has been updated with new content and pictures on December 5, 2024.
These cookies look delicious! Did you save one for me? I love the idea of the cardamon and cinnamon together. Great photos!
We love the flavor of cardamom and cinnamon and this looks super tasty, crispy and YUM 🙂
These look lovely and the cardamom and cinnamon sound so good together.
Dawn, these cookies look so good…I yet have to try adding cardamon in cookies…thanks for the inspiration!
Have a great week 🙂
I would love these cookies since both spices are my favourites.
Ohhh I love the spices that you used in these cookies, Dawn! A good sugar cookie has always been high on my list, but a sugar cookie with those spices added in, too? I could eat the entire batch!