Crisp Spiced Windmill Cookies with Hot Tea

Crisp windmill cookies of butter, rye, and dark brown sugar, spiced with cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, paired with hot tea. They echo the rye-and-dairy mornings along the IJ in Silver Scales Before First Beer, when Amsterdam’s Golden Age waterfront woke to brine and cold dawn.

Serves 4

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Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rye flour
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter
• 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp milk

Instructions

1. 1Cream the butter and dark brown sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. 2Add the milk and mix, then stir in the cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt.
3. 3Gradually add both flours to form a firm dough, then roll out on a floured surface to 1/4-inch thickness.
4. 4Cut dough into windmill or rectangular shapes using a knife or cookie cutter and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
5. 5Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until edges are crisp and golden brown.
6. 6Cool completely on a wire rack until fully crisp, then serve alongside hot tea.