Sweet Baking Spice

By Melissa Clark

Sweet Baking Spice
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(69)
Notes
Read community notes

This fragrant baking blend splits the difference between pumpkin pie spice and apple pie spice, adding a bit of white pepper for some gentle heat, and cardamom for its deep, bright perfume. You can use a teaspoon or two in pies (apple, pumpkin and beyond), fruit and nut cakes and tortes, and all manner of cookies (especially shortbread). Or knead some into sweet breads like challah and brioche. Smaller amounts are wonderful sprinkled onto hot chocolate and rice pudding, and the blend will add depth to homemade ice cream when steeped in the custard before freezing.

Featured in: For Maximum Flavor, Make These Spice Blends at Home

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Ingredients

Yield:¼ cup
  • 2(2-inch/5-gram) cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
  • 1tablespoon/8 grams green cardamom pods
  • 1whole nutmeg (2 grams)
  • ¾teaspoon/1 gram whole allspice berries
  • ½teaspoon/3 grams white peppercorns
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)

30 calories; 1 gram fat; 0 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 0 grams monounsaturated fat; 0 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 0 grams sugars; 1 gram protein; 2 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place a small skillet over medium heat. Add the spices and toast, stirring, until fragrant, 2 to 4 minutes. Pour into a small bowl and set aside to cool.

  2. Step 2

    Using a spice grinder, clean coffee grinder, or mortar and pestle, grind the cooled spices until fine. If you like, you can strain the mix through a fine-mesh strainer to remove any coarse bits, but this is optional. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place for up to 1 year.

Ratings

4 out of 5
69 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

JB

I’m confused. How do you toast and grind a whole nutmeg with the other spices?

Hanne

In the Netherlands we know a similar mix as cookie spices or 'speculaas' spices (named after the small spicy shortcrust biscuits that were traditionally baked for the Dutch Sinterklaas celebrations on December 5). Dutch cookie spices include pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg, but cardamon and aniseed are sometimes added.

Amy

I bought a Redmond (the salt people) grinder recently. It's a little more expensive but definitely worth considering. Research online.

dimmerswitch

Made to use in Genevieve Ko's recipe for Fruit Crumble for Easter weekend dessert. See link. Worked swell. For those asking how to toast whole nutmeg before grinding it, I didn't do that. I toasted and ground all other spices then used a microplane to grate the nutmeg into the mixture and mix together. I appreciated just the eensie 'zing' from the white peppercorns. Look forward to using the remainder in other dishes. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1025182-fruit-crumble

Boltonfish

I'm not willing to experiment with putting a whole nutmeg in my spice grinder :)! Anyone else ACTUALLY try it in a conventional spice grinder? Interested to know if that really works. Until there's evidence I'll grate it first.

ELisaT-B

Cuisinart spice and nut grinder, SG-10 Good capacity, the cup and blades are removable to wash in the dishwasher AND has a plastic lid if you want to store items temporarily) I used this mixture in my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and everyone loved the extra spicy flavor. For my pie, also using @clarkbar Best Pumpkin pie recipe, using 3T. of this blend in place of the cinnamon and nutmeg, and added 1/4 t of allspice & 1/8 tsp cloves. Be sure to add whipped cream.

Farmgirl6

You grind the green cardamom pods too? Not removing the seeds??

Pengyou

I always remove the seeds from the shells before grinding.

Lanam

Don't remove the seeds, that's where the majority of the flavor lives! In fact some people remove the pod and only keep the seeds.

George Potratz

You put a whole nutmeg in a spice grinder??

Sandy

I've never broken up a whole nutmeg to grind it in a spice grinder; I've always used a nutmeg grater or other sharp grater with fine holes.

JB

I’m confused. How do you toast and grind a whole nutmeg with the other spices?

Hanne

In the Netherlands we know a similar mix as cookie spices or 'speculaas' spices (named after the small spicy shortcrust biscuits that were traditionally baked for the Dutch Sinterklaas celebrations on December 5). Dutch cookie spices include pepper, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom and nutmeg, but cardamon and aniseed are sometimes added.

Mark L.

By the way, if you grind this or similar blends more coarsely, mixed with loose black tea makes an excellent chai. As I don't like the smell of white peppercorns, I'd use black instead, but probably less as they're "hotter" and I'd definitely add a bit of clove. I finally bought another Krups coffee grinder just for spices and that was the best $20 I ever spent, because you can never really get either coffee or spice smells/flavors out of a grinder.

Amy

I bought a Redmond (the salt people) grinder recently. It's a little more expensive but definitely worth considering. Research online.

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