These cardamom cookies are buttery spice cookies made with 1 cup butter, ¾ cup granulated sugar, an egg, vanilla, 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon ground cardamom, baking soda, and salt. They bake at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes, take about 27 minutes start to finish, and make about 20 cookies with crisp golden edges and soft centers.
Cardamom is the only spice in the dough. Nothing competes. Its warm, citrusy, slightly piney flavor comes through clearly. I often double the batch for gifting at Christmas, because one tin never seems to be enough once people taste them.
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Most holiday spice cookies lean on cinnamon, ginger, and cloves together. Here cardamom works alone. It tastes bright, not hot: think lemon peel and a hint of eucalyptus, with a little warmth at the end. It is the spice behind Scandinavian cardamom buns and many Nordic Christmas cookies, which is why it feels so at home on a holiday tray.
Butter carries that aroma, and the flavor gets a little stronger by the next day. With no glaze or frosting, the cookie stays plain on purpose. Serve them with unsweetened tea or black coffee, where the spice speaks louder than it would next to a sweet drink.
Ground Cardamom or Fresh Pods: How Much to Use
The recipe uses 1 teaspoon ground cardamom for 2 cups of flour. Jarred ground cardamom is the simple route and still gives a clearly spiced cookie. Smell it first. If the scent is faint, the spice is old, and the cookies will taste of butter and little else.
Freshly ground pods are stronger and more lemony. About 12 green pods give roughly 1 teaspoon ground. Crack the pods, tip out the small black seeds, discard the papery husks, and grind the seeds in a mortar or spice grinder. Because fresh-ground cardamom is more potent, start with ¾ teaspoon the first time and go up to the full teaspoon if you want it bolder.
- Jarred ground: 1 teaspoon, gentle and warm, easy to find.
- Fresh-ground seeds: ¾ to 1 teaspoon, brighter and more citrusy, best for gifting.
- Whole pods in the dough: no. They stay hard and woody after baking.
Making the Dough: Soft Butter, Pale Cream, Short Mix
Heat the oven to 350°F and line two baking sheets with parchment. The butter should be at cool room temperature: a finger leaves a dent, but it does not look shiny or greasy. With a full cup of butter in the dough, butter that is too soft is the main reason these cookies spread flat.
Beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until the mixture is noticeably paler and looks fluffy rather than grainy. That trapped air gives the cookies their light bite. Then the egg and vanilla. Beat until smooth.
In a second bowl, whisk the flour, cardamom, baking soda, and salt so the spice and soda are spread evenly; a pocket of soda tastes soapy. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it, or weigh 240 g. Add the dry mix on low speed and stop as soon as no dry flour shows. The dough should be soft and slightly sticky but come away from the sides of the bowl.
Scooping, Pressing and Knowing When They Are Done
Scoop level tablespoons of dough, roll them into smooth balls, and space them about 2 inches apart. Press each ball gently with your palm or the bottom of a glass. Flat tops bake evenly. Look closely and you will see tiny flecks of cardamom.
Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway if your oven browns unevenly. Check at 10 minutes, not 12, because the difference between soft and crunchy here is about two minutes. The edges should be light golden and the centers should still look soft and slightly underdone. That is what you want.
Leave them on the sheet for 5 minutes before moving them to a rack. Hot, they bend and crumble. Be patient. Baked until the centers look dry in the oven, they cool into a crunchy, shortbread-like cookie instead.
Why Cardamom Cookies Spread, Harden or Taste Flat
- Spread into thin discs: the butter was too soft, the kitchen was warm, or the flour was scooped light. Chill the scooped balls for 20 to 30 minutes and bake them straight from the fridge.
- Hard and crunchy once cool: they stayed in too long. Pull them at 10 minutes next time, while the centers still look underdone.
- Barely taste of cardamom: the ground spice is old. Use a fresh jar or grind the seeds yourself.
- Bitter or soapy edge: too much cardamom or unmixed baking soda. Measure level teaspoons and whisk the dry ingredients well.
Packing Cardamom Cookies for the Christmas Tin
Cooled cookies keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for up to 1 month. I stack them with parchment between the layers in tins or boxes for gifting; for more ideas, see these Christmas cookie packaging ideas.
To bake fresh during the holidays, freeze the unbaked dough balls on a tray, then bag them for up to 1 month. No thawing needed. Bake from frozen and add 1 to 2 minutes. I keep a small batch this way so a warm tray is always 15 minutes away. Leftover or broken cookies are good crumbled over vanilla ice cream.
They sit nicely next to classic Christmas butter cookies on a cookie plate, and you will find more ideas in my Christmas cookie recipes roundup.
Cardamom Cookie Questions
Are these cardamom cookies chewy?
Not very. They have soft centers and crisp edges rather than a dense chew. For a chewier cookie, swap ¼ cup of the granulated sugar for packed light brown sugar and bake for the shorter time.
Are cardamom cookies Scandinavian?
Cardamom is a signature spice of Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish holiday baking. This is a simple drop cookie rather than a traditional Nordic recipe. For a Nordic touch, roll the dough balls in sugar mixed with a pinch of cardamom before pressing them.
Can I add orange zest?
Yes. Beat 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest into the butter and sugar.
What else can I bake with cardamom?
Try coffee cardamom sugar cookies, cardamom poppy seed cookies, an orange cardamom cake, or a loaf of cardamom bread.
Cardamom Cookies Recipe
These cardamom cookies are buttery spice cookies made with butter, granulated sugar, an egg, vanilla, flour, ground cardamom, baking soda, and salt. The recipe makes about 20 cookies in about 27 minutes, baked at 350°F (175°C) for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are golden and the centers are soft. Cardamom is the only spice in the dough, so its warm, citrusy flavor comes through clearly; freshly ground seeds make it even brighter. This cardamom cookie recipe suits Christmas cookie trays, cookie swaps, holiday gift tins, and afternoon tea or coffee. For a chewier cardamom spice cookie, swap some of the sugar for brown sugar. Store them airtight for 5 days or freeze for 1 month.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups (240g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cardamom (freshly ground if possible)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- PREHEAT THE OVEN: Set your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper for even baking and easy cleanup.
- CREAM BUTTER AND SUGAR: In a large mixing bowl, use a hand or stand mixer to beat the softened butter and sugar together on medium speed until light in texture and pale in color, about 2–3 minutes.
- ADD EGG AND VANILLA: Mix in the egg and vanilla extract until the mixture becomes smooth and fully combined.
- COMBINE DRY INGREDIENTS: In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, ground cardamom, baking soda, and salt to evenly distribute the leavening and spice.
- MIX WET AND DRY INGREDIENTS: Gradually add the dry mixture to the butter mixture, mixing on low speed until a soft, cohesive dough forms. Avoid overmixing to maintain tenderness.
- SHAPE THE DOUGH: Use a tablespoon or small cookie scoop to portion the dough. Roll each portion into a smooth ball and space them about 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- FLATTEN COOKIES: Gently press each dough ball with your palm or the bottom of a glass to slightly flatten the tops for even baking.
- BAKE: Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 10–12 minutes, or until the edges are golden and the centers appear just set. Rotate the sheets halfway through baking if needed for even browning.
- COOL: Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
For the strongest flavor, use freshly ground cardamom: about 12 green pods give roughly 1 teaspoon ground seeds. Start with 3/4 teaspoon when freshly ground, since it is stronger than jarred. Use butter at cool room temperature; very soft butter makes the cookies spread. If the dough is sticky, chill the scooped balls for 20 to 30 minutes. Take the cookies out when the edges are light golden and the centers still look slightly underdone; they set as they cool on the sheet. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days. Cookies can also be frozen for up to 1 month. Unbaked dough balls can be frozen for up to 1 month and baked from frozen with 1 to 2 extra minutes.
Nutrition Information
Yield
20Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 56Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 11mgSodium 66mgCarbohydrates 10gFiber 0gSugar 0gProtein 2g
