Easy Moravian Christmas Cookies
Submitted by franland
Moravian Christmas cookies rolled paper-thin with molasses, brown sugar, and warm spices like clove, cinnamon, and ginger. A heritage Pennsylvania Dutch holiday cookie that snaps with every bite.
YIELD
120 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
10 minREADY
90 minThese are the paper-thin spiced Christmas cookies the Moravian community brought to Pennsylvania, and they’re built to be rolled almost translucent. The molasses and brown sugar give them a deep, almost-burnt sweetness, and the trio of clove, cinnamon, and ginger lands them somewhere between a gingersnap and a speculoos.
The key is rolling thin. Properly thin Moravian cookies should let light through, which means working in small batches with a well-floured surface and a chilled, firm dough. Too thick and they bake into ordinary spice cookies. Right thickness and they shatter on the first bite, releasing all that warm spice in one go.
A mixture of butter and lard for the shortening is traditional and worth doing. Butter brings flavor, lard brings the snap and tender crumb that all-butter or all-shortening versions miss.
Dissolving baking soda in vinegar is an old-school trick. The acid activates the soda for an even rise, and vinegar evaporates clean, leaving no aftertaste.
Pro Tips
- Chill the dough overnight before rolling. Room-temp dough sticks and tears.
- Roll between two sheets of parchment to avoid adding too much extra flour.
- Use sharp metal cookie cutters dipped in flour for clean edges on detailed shapes.
- Bake until the edges just darken. Pulled too soon, they’ll be soft instead of crisp.
Variations
- Brush with a thin lemon icing for a traditional Moravian decorated cookie.
- Add a pinch of black pepper or cardamom to the spice mix for a more complex profile.
- Roll slightly thicker for a chewier, soft-spice cookie if you prefer that texture.
Ingredients
Directions
Use a mixture of butter and lard for the shortening.
Sift the flour and spices together.
Add sugar and mix well. Work in the shortening with the finger tips or with a pastry blender.
Add baking soda and molasses and mix thoroughly.
Chill.
Roll very thin on floured board and cut with fancy cookie cutters.
Bake at 350℉ (180℃) about 10 minutes.
Decorate cookies if needed.
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