This heritage or old-fashioned recipe is often called simply Ammonia Cookies. Many people today do not know anything about Baker’s Ammonia (also known as Ammonium Carbonate, Hartshorn, etc.), so the name really does not sell the cookie. Quite frankly, naming a cookie after its leavening agent may not be a great way to name a cookie. The fact is that many different flavors of cookies are made with Ammonium Carbonate (Baker’s Ammonia) as the leavening agent. This cookie and my grandmother’s Lemon Crackers just happen to be my favorites.
These are a family favorite. My daughter really does not like sweets that are “too sweet, ” and she loves these cookies. In fact, she and I find them…well…addictive.
They are light, fluffy cookies that have a slight hint of the ammonia leavening agent flavor a few days after baking. If you really like peppermint (like I do), I think you’ll find the amount of oil to be great. If you only like a hint of peppermint, you may want to reduce the amount of peppermint oil used.
While some of the older recipes that used baker’s ammonia as a leavening agent have been converted to baking soda and/or baking powder, these Peppermint Ammonia Cookies require that no substitute leavening agents be used.
What is Ammonium Carbonate and where can you buy it? As I use it several different recipes, I wrote an article telling more about it when I first started blogging. You can read it HERE. Ammonium Carbonate is used in a lot of European baking recipes, especially in Germany and Scandinavia. In the United States, you can often find it in European specialty stores. Or, you can order it on Amazon or multiple other websites. Just make sure you order food grade ammonium carbonate as other forms of ammonia are poisonous.
Peppermint (Ammonia) Cookies
Ingredients
- 30 mg or 1 oz. baker's ammonia
- 1 c. whole milk
- 1 c. shortening
- 2 c. granulated white sugar
- 2 eggs, slightly beaten and at room temperature
- 1 c. sour cream
- 1/2 tsp. peppermint oil
- 6 to 7 c. all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Stir baker's ammonia into milk to dissolve. Set aside for awhile.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Beat sugar and shortening together until well combined.
- Stir in eggs, sour cream, and peppermint.
- Gradually add the milk and ammonia mixture while continuing to stir.
- Add 5 1/2 cups of flour starting by stirring in one cup at a time for the first 4 cups, then add the remaining 1 1/2 cups a half a cup at a time. The dough will still be very soft and sticky.
- Sift another 1/2 cup of flour onto a pastry board or other flat surface.
- Turn out the dough into the middle of the flour and sift about another 1/4 cup of flour on top of it.
- Using your hands, gently fold over the dough to incorporate the flour.
- Continue sifting on additional flour 1/4 cup at a time until the dough is not as sticky and can be easily rolled, but is still very soft. DO NOT OVERWORK THE DOUGH. DO NOT KNEAD THE DOUGH...just use your hands to fold in the rest of the flour. It usually takes about 6 1/2 to 6 3/4 cups of flour, but can change based on eggs size, humidity, etc.
- Roll the dough out on the lightly floured board/surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick. You will be using a cookie or biscuit cutter, so you probably want to remove it from the silicon mat, if you are using one, before rolling.
- Cut out cookies using a 2 to 2 1/2 inch cutter.
- Place on a lined or greased baking sheet 2 to 3 inches apart. They will spread and puff up in the oven.
- Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until the cookie bounces back when lightly pressed with your finger. The cookies should not gain color on top when they bake. The bottom will be VERY lightly browned when done.
- Remove to a wire rack to cool.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Allow for a day or two at minimum before serving for the best flavor.