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These Chinese Five Spice Iced Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with a surprising punch of spice that hits you with warmth of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise and pepper. All of that spice is tucked into ultra chewy oatmeal cookies and topped with a soft sweet icing to counteract the spice.
Five spice cookies bring warmth and flavor
I've had a small bottle of Chinese Five Spice
sitting in my cupboard since I first made homemade Pho a while back ago. I have never used it for anything other than pho, ever. It's weird how we do that. We only think of something in one insular way.
Kind of like when you were a kid and you couldn't imagine your teachers having lives outside of the classroom – as if they only lived and breathed for their precious pupils and never went on dates, had families, or shopped at Target. Our tiny, underdeveloped brains just couldn't process that kind of information. If, God forbid, you ever actually ran into a teacher while she was out with friends drinking beers at the local pizza parlor, you were instantly mortified and simultaneously fascinated. There is an unspoken rule, teachers can't have lives. That's just the way it is.
of milk for Santa.Thankfully my badass, super talented blogging and baking buddy Rebecca Firth of displacedhousewife.com, opened my eyes to a whole new world of holiday spices in the November | December issue of Bake From Scratch magazine
. Her Cranberry Streusel Bundt Cake graces the cover, and hidden inside is a magical untapped world of spice variety. This drop dead gorgeous cake is all spiced up with an unexpected twist, Chinese Five Spice powder
. She's got 4 more recipes that rely on that Chinese Five Spice for full on flavor. This brilliant move has awakened my spicy senses to all kinds of new and exciting spice replacement ideas.
More chewy cookie recipes
What are the spices in Chinese Five Spice?
When you stop and think about it, this blend of spices lends itself perfectly to the baking world. Warmth, depth and intrigue. What a perfect way to snazz up simple Iced Oatmeal Cookies! The warm spices of cinnamon, fennel, cloves, star anise and pepper combine in pre-mixed Chinese Five Spice powder. The pepper may be white pepper or it's hotter cousin, Szechuan pepper.
For a softer warmth, look for white pepper instead of Szechuan
I found a blend that uses white pepper and adds just enough heat to the mix, without overpowering the cookies. Be sure to check the label before you decide which direction you want to take these cookies. You could get spicy with it and try the Szechuan pepper blend, if you're feeling adventurous. Or, you can make you own blend, dialed into your personal taste.
I took a cue from Becky's recipe playbook and incorporated that underutilized spice blend in this cookie recipe. They're a whole lot like those classic iced oatmeal cookies from back in the day, but with a grown up hit of spicy warmth.
How to get that ultra chewy texture
The comfort of a soft and chewy oatmeal cookie comforts like no other. The goal was an ultra chewy texture for these Five Spice Oatmeal Cookies, so we whiz the oats in a food processor for a few minutes. This results in a more consistent texture, allowing the little oat bits to snuggle in tight, bringing extra chewiness to the oatmeal cookies. I use this same technique in my Iced Orange Currant Oatmeal Cookies and they too have an undeniably chewy texture.
A glaze to balance out the spice
The five spice mix has a subtle yet surprising punch of spice that hits you right where you never knew you wanted it! To balance out all of that spice, the Chinese Five Spice Oatmeal Cookies get all glazed up with a glossy sweet icing. A simple mix made from powdered sugar
and whole milk. It's as easy as can be and adds a nostalgic nod to those classic Iced Oatmeal Cookies.
A big thank you to Becky for the inspiration to try something new and unexpected in my baking repertoire. It's such a simple change to a basic cookie recipe but these Chinese Five Spice Iced Oatmeal Cookies are now a family favorite.
And, a shout out to all of my grade school teachers out there. Kids can be weirdos. Sorry for not being able to handle the fact that you had actual lives. If I saw you out now, I'd buy you a beer instead of cowering behind the pinball machine. Can I offer you a batch of these Chinese Five Spice Iced Oatmeal Cookies as a consolation prize, Mrs. Steele?
Recipe
Chinese Five Spice Iced Oatmeal Cookies
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 30 - 36 cookies
Description
These soft & chewy Chinese Five Spice Iced Oatmeal Cookies are loaded with a surprising punch of spice that hits you with warmth & a sweet icing to balance out that spice.
Ingredients
OATMEAL COOKIES
- 2 cups extra thick rolled oats
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Chinese Five Spice powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
ICING
- 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- 3 tablespoons whole milk
Instructions
OATMEAL COOKIES
- Preheat oven at 350° F and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silpat mats.
- Put the thick rolled oats in a food processor and pulse for 10-20 seconds until the oats are coarsely chopped. In a mixing bowl whisk together the chopped oats with the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and Chinese Five Spice powder.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar on a medium speed for 5-6 minutes, until light and fluffy. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula a few times.
- Adjust the mixer to a low speed and slowly add the eggs, one at a time, and vanilla. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. I like to crack the eggs and add the vanilla in a measuring cup before adding it to the butter and sugar mixture to avoid eggshells.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients in 2-3 additions with the mixer on low speed. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to fully incorporate the butter and sugar and blend until well mixed.
- Use a cookie scoop to form the dough into ping pong size balls. Arrange on a prepared cookie sheet and press into ½ inch thick disks, leaving a couple of inches between each cookie.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through the baking time. The edges of the cookies will begin to brown and the middle should appear slightly underdone. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets. They will continue to bake slightly and should be crunchy on the edges with a warm and chewy center.
ICING
- Whisk together the sifted powdered sugar and milk until smooth and creamy and the glaze runs off of the whisk in a smooth ribbon.
- Gently drizzle the icing onto the tops of the cooled cookies, spreading to the the edges. Allow the icing to set before serving.
Notes
You can make this cookie dough ahead of time and freeze the dough balls until ready to bake. First place the dough balls closely on a lined baking sheet and freeze until firm. Then transfer to a freezer proof bag or container and store in the freezer up to 3 months. Bake straight from frozen, however they may require an extra minute or two of bake time.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: cookies
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