Using Spices in Desserts & Baking

Spices aren’t just for savory cooking. They can enhance desserts and baked goods as well. Here are some ideas for using spices in desserts and baking to boost a simple chocolate or white batter to new flavor heights.

Chocolate Batter and Spice Combinations

There are a number of ways to use spices for depth of flavor to chocolate-based recipes.

Black pepper

This awakens the flavor, and pepper is not harmful to blood pressure the way salt is in the latest trend towards salted desserts. Grind it up freshly and add to cookies and cake as you would cinnamon. Or, add it to a savory cookie or crisp for a delicious appetizer partner.

Chili powder

A dash of chili powder will take the edge off any really cloyingly sweet chocolate. It is a great match with dark chocolate. In fact, Mexican hot chocolate is made with chili powder. Give it a try!

Cinnamon

Cinnamon gives a deep richness to any chocolate, from cake to hot cocoa. Cinnamon is another ingredient in Mexican hot chocolate.

Ginger

Chocolate and ginger are a delicious combination. Use fresh or candied ginger, to experiment with taste and texture in your cakes. Add ground ginger to your cookies or chocolate gingerbread.

Lime

Chocolate-lime combinations are a favorite in the UK and the Caribbean. While not technically a spice, adding citrus to baked goods gives them a whole new dimension.

White Batter and Spice Combinations

Lemon

While also not a spice, lemon can make a deliciously tart contrast with the sweetness of your cookies and cakes. It goes well with berries such as blueberry. You can use juice or zest, extract or oil. Note: lemon oil is not the same as lemon extract. It tastes less artificial but is much stronger than extract, so use one drop at a time. Try a little lemon-ginger combo and you’ll really knock their socks off!

Rosemary

Lemon and rosemary cookies are a tasty treat for those that like less sweet desserts. Incorporating rosemary into a savory cookie or crisp makes a delicious addition to any hors d’oerve bar or charcuterie tray.

Thyme

Thyme offers a lemony hint to cookies and works well when paired with lemon zest or oil. Thyme also pairs well with berry-based desserts. Rosemary and thyme added to a savory cookie or crisp is wonderful!

Cinnamon, Cloves, Allspice, Nutmeg, Mace

Nothing says fall and the holidays like delicious, spiced desserts. Cookies are easy and fill the whole house with the most wonderful fragrance. Spice cakes and loaves are easy to make as treats for your holiday table, or gifts to pass along to the people on your list.

These are also the main ingredients in pumpkin pie spice. Mace (which is the outer part of nutmeg) is what give it such a distinct flavor. Experiment with these in varying quantities and make up your own baking blends. Leave out the mace and you can also create stunning apple pies or carrot cake. Remember that cloves, allspice and mace are the strongest of the flavors, so don’t overdo it!

Cardamom

Cardamom is also good in carrot cake and in cookies. If you’ve ever eaten Scandinavian baked goods, you will know the taste.

Cumin and coriander

These spices are often paired together in Indian, Mexican and Thai cooking. They will go well with peanut-based items like cookies, or coconut-based items to take the edge off the sweetness and give a more savory flavor.

Basil

Basil works well with berry-based desserts, enhancing their flavor and taking the edge off the sweetness.

Ginger

What could be yummier than homemade gingerbread or ginger cake?

Sage

Most people love the taste of sage in their stuffing, so there’s no reason it wouldn’t go well in loaf cakes, your next bread pudding, or in a savory cookie or crisp. Add craisins instead of raisins for a whole new twist.

Vanilla

Vanilla also comes from the “Spice Islands”, and is perfect for adding flavor to even the simplest sugar cookie recipe. Your local grocer will present you with a number of options when it comes to vanilla. Imitation vanilla, real vanilla, vanilla beans or paste…Tahitian, Madagascar, or Mexican. What do you buy? Buy the best your budget will allow. Try to stay away from imitation. When you use real vanilla, or vanilla beans, you going to get pure, delicious flavor.  I use Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla almost exclusively. I think it has the best flavor.

Mint (Peppermint, Spearmint)

Mint can brighten up any fruity dessert. It’s also a favorite in holiday cookies. The extract can taste a bit too much like chemicals, though. Peppermint oil can also be overwhelming if you use too much, so one drop or two should be more than enough. Be careful not to overdo it so things start to taste like toothpaste!

So there you have it…take a simple chocolate or vanilla cake or cookie and kick it up with these delicious flavors. You’re going to LOVE having this versatility in your back pocket!

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