Cardamom Cookies
Traditional cookies take a whimsical twist with these delicious Cardamom Cookies. Made in one bowl and baked in under 15 minutes, these quick cookies are infused with ground cardamom and are paired with a simple 2 ingredient lemon drizzle icing.
With the exotic and aromatic flavor of cardamom and the fresh and zesty addition of lemon icing, these cookies are a true delight for the senses.
Like my gingernut biscuits and cinnamon cookies, these easy cardamom cookies offer a perfect balance of flavors, complemented by their buttery richness.
They’re quick to make, have a soft texture and feature flour, butter, brown sugar, egg, maple syrup and ground cardamom.
Finished off with a quick 2-ingredient lemon icing drizzled on top.
They have a soft middle and a crisp outer layer. They’re puffier and thicker than something such as chewy chocolate chip cookies.
Baked in 15 minutes, you’ll love that these cookies are made in one mixing bowl, offering a quick and easy recipe.
If you enjoy spiced cookies with warm undertones like chai spiced cookies and pumpkin pie spice cookies, this recipe is for you.
For coffee cookies, my easy mocha cookies made in one bowl and bake in just 15 minutes!
🍪 Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy cookie recipe.
- Spiced with ground cardamom.
- Made in one bowl.
- Bakes in under 15 minutes.
📋 Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- All-purpose flour: Is also known as plain flour in Australia. This recipe has not been tested using gluten-free flour.
- Ground cardamom: If you don’t have cardamom, substitute with ground cinnamon or ground ginger using the same quantity. Keep in mind these will no longer be cardamom biscuits if you substitute the cardamom.
- Salted butter: Make sure it’s cubed and chilled before adding it to the recipe. If you only have unsalted butter, that’s ok, you can absolutely use unsalted, just add a pinch of salt to the flour and cardamom mixture before adding your butter!
- Brown sugar: Use regular light brown sugar. This recipe has not been tested using dark brown sugar or coconut sugar.
- Egg: Use one large egg. I don’t recommend substituting the egg as a vegan-friendly alternative.
- Pure maple syrup: For the best results, use pure maple syrup without any added flavorings or sweeteners which can alter the flavor and texture of these cookies.
- Powdered sugar: Is also known as icing sugar and confectioners sugar.
- Lemon juice: For the best results, use freshly squeezed lemon juice. Alternatively, you can use store-bought lemon juice if you don’t have fresh lemons.
🥣 Step By Step Instructions (with photos)
There is a full and detailed recipe card at the bottom of this post.
Step one: In a large mixing bowl, add flour and cardamom. Whisk until well combined.
Step two: Add the cold and cubed butter to the flour and using your hands, rub the butter into the flour for 2 minutes until it resembles a coarse crumb.
Step three: Stir through brown sugar.
Step four: Pour in beaten egg and maple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, mix them through the flour until a cookie dough forms, you can use your hands for this step if it’s easier.
Step five: Pick up 1 level tablespoon (25g/0.8oz) and roll it into a smooth ball then flatten it in your palms into a thick disc.
Place the ball on the lined tray and flatten it out using the palm of your hand. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges and the biscuits come away easily from the parchment paper.
Step six: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift in powdered sugar.
Pour in lemon juice and whisk until smooth until it reaches a thick yet pourable consistency.
Step seven: Place cooled cookies on a lined tray.
Drizzle with the lemon icing, I like to drizzle just half of each cookie. Set aside until icing has set. Serve and enjoy!
💭 Expert Tips
- Measure your baking ingredients accurately: to achieve the best results. Check out my helpful guide on how to measure basic ingredients.
- Butter must be cold/chilled and cubed: If your butter is too soft or at room temperature, it will melt too much when rubbing it into your flour.
- Beat the egg before: Quickly whisk your egg in a small bowl before adding it to your mixture. This makes it easier to mix it through as opposed to trying to break up a whole egg in the cookie dough.
- Press biscuits into flat discs: Using the palm of your hand, flatten the biscuits while they sit on the baking sheet or flatten them in your hands after you roll them into balls.
- Biscuits are ready when they come away from the parchment paper: They’ll easily lift off and peel away from the paper when they’re done. They’ll also have a light golden color around their edges.
⏲️ Storage Instructions
Store baked cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 1 week – 10 days.
TO FREEZE THE BAKED COOKIES:
- Allow them to cool completely. You can freeze them with or without the lemon icing. If they’re iced, allow the icing to completely set before freezing cookies.
- Transfer to a freezer-friendly sealed container, with layers of parchment paper between any layers. Alternatively, place them into freezer zip-lock bags.
- Label them with the date and the recipe name.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
TO THAW BAKED COOKIES:
- Remove them from their container/bag, place them onto a plate and sit at room temperature for several hours until defrosted.
- Alternatively, thaw them overnight by removing them from their container/bag, placing them onto a plate, and into the fridge overnight. Removing them from the container/bag avoids condensation when defrosting.
- Warm them up if desired in the oven or microwave.
TO FREEZE COOKIE DOUGH:
- Follow the recipe, form the cookies and place them onto the lined baking sheet, with a small gap between each cookie.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour or until solid.
- Place the solid cookies in freezer zip-lock bags or into a freezer-friendly sealed container, labeled with the date and recipe name.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
TO BAKE FROZEN COOKIE DOUGH:
- Remove the cookies from the container/bag and onto the parchment paper-lined baking sheet, leaving a 1-inch gap between each cookie.
- Sit them on the counter at room temperature while you pre-heat your oven according to the recipe instructions.
- Bake cookies per the recipe method, adding a further 1-2 minutes to the baking time, if needed, as the cookies were partially frozen.
- Make the lemon icing as per the recipe instructions and enjoy!
💬 Recipe FAQ’s
Yes, simply crush the pods and remove the seeds. Grind the seeds using a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder to obtain the equivalent amount of ground cardamom.
You can try using a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend perfect for baking, such as a 1:1 flour blend. I have not tested this recipe myself using gluten-free flour.
Yes, make the dough a day ahead and refrigerate it covered. When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for 10-15 minutes or until it’s soft enough to roll into balls and flatten into the cookies. Follow the recipe instructions to bake.
If you enjoy this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐️ star rating and a comment review below. I love to hear what you think and it’s much appreciated. Thank you! Your email address will not be published. Sam x
Cardamom Cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 2 cups (300g) all-purpose flour, scooped & leveled
- 2 tsp ground cardamom
- 125 g salted butter, chilled and cubed
- 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed*
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
Lemon Drizzle
- 2/3 cup powdered sugar
- 1 Tbsp + 1 tsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
Instructions
Cookies
- Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF). Line a baking tray with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, add flour and cardamom. Whisk until well combined.
- Add cold and cubed butter to the flour and using your hands, rub the butter into the flour 2 minutes until it resembles a coarse crumb.
- Stir through brown sugar.
- Pour in beaten egg and maple syrup. Using a wooden spoon, mix them through the flour until a cookie dough forms, you can use your hands for this step if it’s easier for you.
- To form cookies, pick up 1 level tablespoon (25g/0.8oz) and roll into a smooth ball then flatten it in your palms into a thick disc. Alternatively, place ball on lined tray and flatten it out using the palm of your hand. Repeat with remaining dough, leaving about a 2 inch/5cm space between each.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden around the edges and the biscuits come away easily from the parchment paper.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool on tray for 2 minutes.
- Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Lemon Icing
- In a medium-size mixing bowl, sift in powdered sugar.
- Pour in lemon juice and whisk until smooth until it reaches a thick yet pourable consistency.
- Place cooled cookies on a lined tray.
- Drizzle with the lemon icing, I like to drizzle just half of each cookie.
- Set aside until icing has set.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Lightly packed brown sugar means to press the sugar lightly into your measuring cup using the back of a teaspoon, add more, and lightly press down again until the amount of sugar reaches the brim of your measuring cup.
- Butter must be cold/chilled and cubed: If your butter is too soft or at room temperature, it will melt too much when rubbing it into your flour.
- Store baked cookies in an airtight container, at room temperature, for 1 week – 10 days.
- To freeze cookie dough, please refer to the blog post above for detailed freezing and thawing instructions.
First published in November 2018, this recipe was updated in November 2023 to include new step-by-step images, expert recommendations, storage guidelines and more.