Raid Your Pantry
Don't get us wrong, we love our spice racks—whoever thought to put all the spices in one convenient place should've received a large, platinum-encrusted trophy. But when you're making cookies, sometimes those old standbys can stifle your innovative spirit. (You've always considered your spirit to be innovative, right?) An easy solution: Walk away from the rack and into the pantry—you'll find some unexpected add-ins that can spice up your cookies another way.
1/4Salty Snacks
Try folding pretzels or potato chips into slice-and-bakes or chunky cookie doughs, à la Momofuku Milk Bar.
2/4Fresh Herbs
We like chopped rosemary in our shortbread, but other hardy herbs (thyme, oregano, sage) work well, too.
3/4Matcha
To make green-tea shortbread, add 1 tablespoon of matcha to dry ingredients when mixing the dough.
4/4Black Sesame Seeds
For a black-and-white twist, brush raw logs of sugar-cookie dough with egg wash and roll in seeds before baking.
