Recipe: Chai Spiced Shortbread

I knew I wanted to make some shortbread with cardamom in them (because I love cardamom in baked goods.  It's the Swede in me) and I decided to add a couple other spices to give the shortbread the flavor of chai.  Mmmmm.  You could add some ginger in, too. 

Chai Spiced Shortbread

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick), softened to room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/8 tsp ground black pepper
1 c all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Cream the butter with sugar using a handheld mixer. Mix in the spices, and then the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. Gather the dough into a ball.  If the dough begins to soften or feel greasy, chill the dough for 15 minutes.
Roll the dough out into a rectangle of 1/2-inch thickness and cut with small cookie cutters, or into small rectangles. Place the dough on a cold ungreased baking sheet. 

Bake the shortbread for 25 minutes, or until the dough starts to turn a golden color. Remove the shortbread from the baking sheet and let cool completely on a rack.

 

I used one of my cute pastry presses, like the one I used on my Rosemary Chocolate Chip shortbread.  I can't find them online.  If I find them, I will link to them for you, because they are wonderful.  I got them at a local kitchen store here.