Grown up Chocolate Cookies

This is already the beginning of my last cookie baking weekend before Christmas! I can't believe it, time flew - as always during Christmas season. I baked and ate so many cookies this year! Whenever friends came over we sat under our Christmas tree, enjoyed the festive mood and emptied the cookie boxes. But I can definitely take another round before closing the 2013 cookie season, so let's start!

If you don't really have a sweet tooth these will be your cookies! Bittersweet chocolate and lots of spices: cinnamon, coriander, cloves, aniseed and allspice. The texture is light and crumbly with a thin layer of melted dark chocolate on top. They taste grown up - dark, bittersweet and rich in flavours. I thought some foresty animal shapes would do them good.

Chocolate Spice Cookies

For around 80 cookies you need

• plain flour 250g / 9 ounces

• cocoa powder 50g / 2 ounces

• icing sugar, 90g / 3 ounces

• baking powder 1/4 teaspoon

• butter, soft, 130g / 4.5 ounces

• organic egg 1

• cinnamon, ground, 1/2 teaspoon

• cloves, ground, 8

• coriander seeds, ground, 1 heaping teaspoon

• aniseed, ground, 1/4 teaspoon

• allspice berries, ground, 2

• a pinch of salt

• bittersweet chocolate, melted, to brush the cookies, 100g / 3.5 ounces, mixed with cinnamon (1/4 teaspoon) and Chinese 5 Spice (1/4 teaspoon) or some of your cookie spice mixture

Combine the dry ingredients (except the sugar). In a separate bowl, beat the butter till fluffy, add the sugar and continue mixing till combined. Add the egg and mix for another 2-3 minutes. Put the dry mixture into the bowl with the butter mixture and continue mixing with the hook of your mixer until you have a crumbly mixture. Form a disc, wrap in cling film and put in the freezer for 45 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 160°C / 320°F and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Roll the dough out thinly (about 3mm) between cling film and cut out your cookies in whatever shape you like. Place your cookies on a baking sheet and bake them for 6 minutes. Let them cool and brush with the melted chocolate.