Bien Cuit’s Masala Pecan Sandies

Author Notes

The bakery Bien Cuit has introduced us to some of our favorite cookie recipes, like their extra-tender shortbread (thanks to confectioners’ sugar), gluten-free salted chocolate cookies (thanks to buckwheat)—and, most recently, these masala pecan sandies (masala, in fact, refers to myriad spice blends in Indian cooking, not one specific spice or blend). Bien Cuit chef and owner Zachary Golper uses the sweet masala (with cardamon, fennel, cinnamon, dates and vanilla) from Moji Masala, which sells small-batch Indian spice blends. You can either order it directly from their website, or go off-road with your own mix. Our test kitchen did just that with a combination of two parts warming ground cardamom to two parts ground cozy cinnamon and one part earthy ground ginger. For even more flavor, try adding some smashed fennel seeds or freshly cracked black pepper or both. With all the butter, lots of spice blends will work beautifully here. With respect to the pecans, our go-to method is to add them to a sheet pan and toast in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until browned and fragrant (just check on them frequently toward the end, because nuts can burn quickly). Let them cool completely before grinding in a food processor, or mincing with a knife by hand; if you’re working with a food processor, opt for short bursts, so you don’t accidentally end up with nut butter. If you want to underscore the sweetness even more, Chef Golper likes to sift a little confectioners’ sugar on top of the cookies; you could even upgrade that dusting sugar with some of the masala spices, too. —Food52