Dutch Spice Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups premium flour
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 0.5 tsp of soda
• 0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground anise
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 110 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• Powdered sugar, for dusting
• Blanched almond petals, for garnish

Preparation:

1. Sift flour, cinnamon, baking soda, nutmeg, anise, cloves, ginger, salt and pepper into a medium bowl, then stir to distribute evenly.
2. In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar with a mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce the mixer speed to low; add half the flour mixture and beat until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add 3 tablespoons of water and the remaining flour mixture and knead until smooth.
3. Place the dough on a piece of plastic wrap, form into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
4. Dust the dough with powdered sugar, then transfer it to a sheet of parchment paper and roll it out to a thickness of 0.5 cm. Cut out shapes from the dough using 5-7 cm cookie cutters. Transfer the shapes to 2 ungreased baking sheets and decorate with flaked almonds, pressing them into the dough. Freeze the dough until firm, about 1 hour.
5. Position oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 325°F (160°C). Place the cookies in the oven and reduce the temperature to 275°F (135°C). Bake, rotating the baking sheets halfway through, until the cookies are golden brown and crisp, 45 to 50 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to wire racks to cool completely.