Made in the tradition of “slice ’n bake,” these spicy, crisp, not-too-sweet cookies topped with a Jackson Pollock drizzle of bittersweet chocolate can be eaten up immediately, stored for several days in an airtight container, or frozen. The dough can be made ahead and kept in the fridge for up to a week before baking.
Yields about 48 cookies
Prep time: 20 minutes
Chilling time: at least 1 hour
Baking time: 25 minutes
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cardamom seeds, freshly ground
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns, freshly ground
2 cups unbleached white all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
In a large bowl, beat the butter until fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until light and soft. Add the eggs, vanilla, cardamom, cinnamon, and pepper and beat until creamy.
In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and salt. Add the flour to the butter mixture in three additions, mixing briefly after each. Scrape the dough onto a countertop, divide in half, and roll into two logs, each about 8 inches long and 1½ inches in diameter. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to a week.
When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Cut the dough into ¼-inch-thick slices and arrange on the baking sheets. Bake until golden around the edges, about 25 minutes. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
In a small heatproof bowl over a pan of hot water (or in a double boiler), melt the chocolate. Drizzle the melted chocolate over the cookies. Allow the chocolate to cool and harden before storing the cookies in an airtight container.