Food writer Ben Mims says, "Each of these spices has, for centuries, been the focal point of so many cookies around the world. Their aromatic, warming qualities make them ideal for the holidays, especially when mixed together to make the several regional variations of gingerbread-like cookies. Used on their own, each has a distinct bite that cuts through fat and sugar to add a particular liveliness to myriad baked goods. Except for the cinnamon and ginger, each spice is best when ground fresh to release its unique qualities that have captured the love of virtually every culture around the globe since humans started making sweet bites to finish a meal."
BONUS: With your purchase of this spice collection, we’ll email you a 20% off code for Ben’s fantastic new book, Crumbs: Cookies & Sweets from Around the World, from Phaidon.com. Happy baking!
Photo credit: Taylor Miller
6-spice set:
-
Our Royal Cinnamon is an heirloom variety not widely harvested or exported, and it exemplifies the intense sweetness and spiciness for which Vietnamese cinnamon is prized. Use it in place of Saigon or other cinnamons in pastries and baked goods, or sprinkle into rich, savory meat or tomato-based dishes.Ingredients:
Royal cinnamon, ground (Cinnamomum loureiroi)
- Beautiful in baked goods, spice cookies and desserts
- Sprinkle over yogurt and oatmeal, and add to smoothies
- Brew with your favorite coffee or tea
-
Our ground Buffalo Ginger is an heirloom ginger variety grown by a group of farmers in the mountains of northern Vietnam. Known for its fruity, floral aroma and powerful heat, this is a complex and flavorful ginger powder that will elevate baked goods, stews and curries, and beverages from hot drinks to cocktails.Ingredients: Ginger, ground (Zingiber officinale)=
- Add to apple pies, cookies, cakes and other baked goods
- Use in place of fresh ginger in soups, stir-fries and braises
- Mix ¼ teaspoon with water and honey for a potent ginger tea (or skip the water and stir a pinch of ginger into honey)
-
Our Cloud Forest Cardamom is sweet and tart, reminiscent of summer fruits, fresh herbs and cut grass. It comes straight from a single-estate regenerative farm in the high-altitude cloud forests of Guatemala. The fruit turns yellow as it ripens on the vine and has a softer and sweeter flavor that makes it a perfect upgrade to standard green cardamom.Ingredients:
Whole cardamom pods (Elettaria cardamomum)
- Add to dishes at the beginning of the cooking process
- Crack pods in a mortar and pestle and add them to a pot of rice
- Add to a stews, curries or other rich sauces
- Throw a few pods into braising liquid for chicken or beef
-
Bright, sweet intensity with a rich, tingling warmth.Ingredients:
Whole cloves (Syzygium aromaticum)
- Drop a few whole cloves into braising liquids or stews
- Combine with cinnamon and nutmeg for a warm drink or dessert
- Season a rice or biryani dish
- Use as a decorative and flavorful studding for a roast
-
Our award-winning, vine-ripened Zanzibar Black Peppercorns are carefully hand-picked and sun-dried for a bright, lemony and spicy peppercorn that's unlike anything else on the planet. These are rich, chocolate-colored peppercorns with dense wrinkles and a bright, fruity spiciness.Ingredients:
Whole black peppercorns (Piper nigrum)
- Grind over everything for a bright, peppery kick
- Make the best cacio e pepe of your life
- Cook a few tablespoons with butter, shallots and cream for an Au Poivre sauce
SOURCING
ABOUT BEN MIMS
Ben Mims is a cookbook author, food writer and editor, and radio and video host. He has been nominated for a James Beard award. Born in Mississippi, he was raised there with his mother, grandmother, and aunts who were expert bakers and always surrounded him with tins of all sorts of cookies. This love of baking led him to go to culinary school at the French Culinary Institute in New York City after graduating college.
He lived in San Francisco as a pastry chef and in New York as a food editor at Food & Wine and Saveur, test kitchen director at Lucky Peach, and recipe developer at Food Network Magazine and Buzzfeed’s Tasty, where he developed original recipes for three of their cookbooks. In Los Angeles, he was the cooking columnist for The Los Angeles Times. His first cookbook was Sweet & Southern: Classic Desserts with a Twist (2014), followed by the Short Stacks edition Coconut (2017), and Air Fry Every Day (2018).
More at @benbmims