Ingredients

Units Scale

1 c. butter, softened
1 1/2 c. unrefined cane sugar
4 eggs
3/4 tsp. salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase)
2 tsp. baking powder
4 c. white whole wheat flour
4 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. allspice
2 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. cloves

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Instructions

Cream butter and sugar together for about 5 minutes or until light and fully combined.
Add eggs and continue to mix hard until mixture is creamy again.
Add all the rest of the ingredients, then mix until combined.
You will likely need to add another 1/2-1 cup flour at this point, mixing by hand or even kneading until the dough is mostly not sticky and has a firm texture and holds together in a ball.
Refrigerate the dough until chilled through and easy to roll out. I simply put the whole mixing bowl in the fridge uncovered (who has bugs in their fridge?) or covered with a plate when I use the garage because my fridge is full.
Once dough is stiff, pull out a piece to roll out and leave the rest chilled.
Coat a clean, flat surface with flour and roll to about 1/8-1/4” for large St. Nick shapes and thinner for little cookies.
Cut shapes and move to an ungreased cookie sheet or baking stone. You can reroll the leftover pieces, but try not to manhandle them too much so your cookies remain light and not tough.
Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 9-12 minutes (up to 15-20 if your cookies are 1/4” thick). Because the cookies are so brown with spice, you don’t want to wait until you can see the edges brown to deem them done. If they pick up without drooping in the middle, they’re probably done. Give them a minute to cool on a rack to see if they firm up if you’re unsure. They can make a nice, light soft cookie or a bit crunchy with a few extra minutes.

Notes

Makes lots! You’ll be able to roll out 5-6 times, depending on how thick your cookies are.
Stores in the freezer forever, according to the original, but ours usually languish on the shelf for 2-4 weeks…and they’re great!

Seriously, do not skimp on the spices. I realize that’s a lot of teaspoons, but it comes together to be totally delicious.

The recipe cuts in half well, as the full batch generates quite a few cookies!

Option: Replace sugar with 1 c. sucanat and 1/2 c. molasses