Theres a whole cabinet of seasonings at your disposal, so get a little quirky.

Its easy to think that if your spices arent sweet, theyll taste off in a cookie recipe.

The fact is that none of them are sweet.

When choosing a spice, consider the flavor of your base recipe.

If you really want the spice to shine, use a neutral cookie dough, or vanilla.

That takes care of the cookie dough, now lets consider the outside.

Sadly, sugar doesnt reallytastelike anything, other than sweet.

It has no aroma.

Instead of leaving it as-is, add flavor to it.

Its the same concept as seasoning the flour and bread crumb mixture for chicken cutlets.

Your chicken needs flavor on the outside, and so does your cookie.

double-check the layer is thick, theres no need to shake off excess.

My guidelines would be to start small with spices like ground cloves, black pepper, and cayenne.

Generally cinnamon and cardamom are welcome in higher quantities, so you could use a full teaspoon.

I have a friend who is obsessed with cinnamon, so he might add a full tablespoon.

Try this with recipes that already include a dry spice measurement, and even ones that dont.

The small measurement of spice powder wont throw off the texture of most doughs.

Pick a spice youd like to try and enjoy a punchy new cookie.

Cream the butter and sugar together until blended.

Add the eggs, one at a time, and stir them into the sugar mixture.

Stir in the vanilla and salt.

In a separate bowl, blend the flour, baking powder, and your spice of choice.

Add the dry mixture to the butter mixture and stir until the dough is well combined.

Scoop tablespoon-sized dough balls onto the baking sheet.

No need to roll them into perfect balls, they crinkle better when theyre not smoothed out.

Put the sheet tray into the fridge for 15 minutes while you preheat the oven to 350F.

In a small bowl, stir together powdered sugar and the second portion of spices.

Roll the cookies in this spice mixture.

Dont shake off the excess.

Arrange them back in their place on the baking sheet.

Bake at 350F for 15 minutes.

Cool the cookies and serve.

These will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for about five days.