MORAVIAN SPICE COOKIES

Steps:

• Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, pepper and mustard in medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer on medium-high speed until just combined and lightly fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg yolk. Gradually add dry ingredients and mix on low until dough is just combined and still crumbly ~ 3 minutes. Give dough a few turns with spatula to bring together. Lay wax paper on clean surface and put 1/3 of batter on top. Lightly press and top with another sheet of wax paper. Using hands or rolling pin, gently pat into rectangle. Roll with rolling pin until dough is as thin as possible without breaking, no thicker than 1/16". This is key to cookies: they can't be too thin. Gently peel layer of waxed paper and replace it loosely. Transfer rolled batter to baking sheet and freeze until firm and can be peeled away from wax paper ~ 30 minutes. Repeat. Cut dough using a small (2- to 3-inch) fluted round cookie cutter and return to freezer for 15 min to set. Transfer frozen cookies to baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake until crisp and lightly, evenly colored (but not brown), about 10 minutes. Store baked cookies in airtight container for 10 days. Baked cookies can be wrapped in plastic wrap then aluminum foil and frozen for 1 month. Cook's note: Don't be intimidated by how many cookies this recipe makes. dough freezes well, and you can roll out far in advance -- so when you need cookies, you can cut and bake as needed, which is a great holiday timesaver. Prep Time: 30 minutes Inactive Prep Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes Yield: about 5 dozen wafers