Hi Reader,

The spice cabinet changed seasons, and nobody told me.
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All summer long, I reach automatically for basil, dill, parsley, and mint. Then, almost overnight, my hand drifts somewhere else. Cinnamon. Ginger. Nutmeg. Cloves. Cardamom.
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They sit untouched from June to August. Then, one afternoon in September, they're all I want.
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I love that first afternoon when the oven has been on long enough for the whole house to smell like butter and warm spices. It's the only smell I know that gets someone into the kitchen before they've taken their shoes off.
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Sometimes it's cake. Sometimes cookies. Occasionally, it's dinner, because a pot of curry or a pan of roasted chicken perfumed with spices can fill the house just as beautifully as dessert.
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A loaf pan or a Dutch oven, it makes no difference. The house smells like the season either way.
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A nicer way to close out September has not occurred to me.

Let the Spices Do the Talking

• Buy fresh spices if yours have been hiding since last Thanksgiving. Ground cinnamon and ginger lose most of their punch by the second year. You will taste the difference in the first bite.
• Bloom whole spices whenever you can. A quick toast in butter or oil pulls out a depth that powdered spices simply can't match.
• Reach for them at dinner, not just dessert. Cinnamon, coriander, cumin, cardamom, and cloves bring depth to chicken, curries, and roasted vegetables, not just cakes and cookies.
• Don't overdo it. Warm spices should support the main ingredient, not overwhelm it. The goal is complexity, not confusion.
• Keep the oven busy. Bake a pumpkin pound cake in the afternoon, then slip a batch of molasses cookies into the still-warm oven. If you're heating the kitchen, heat it all the way into October.

WHAT'S INSIDE...

• ​Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake​
• ​Chewy Molasses Cookies​
• ​Spiced Gingerbread With Lemon Glaze​
• ​Spiced Carrot Cake​
• ​Lahori Chicken Curry With Potatoes​
• ​Chicken Biriyani​
• ​Macedonian Spiced Chicken​
• ​Sheet Pan Chicken With Apples, Bacon, & Brussels Sprouts​

​Glazed Pumpkin Pound Cake​

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.88 from 25 votes

This glazed pumpkin pound cake has a moist, dense crumb that's not too sweet and aromatic with autumnal spices including cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. The glaze makes an already amazing cake even more over the top.

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​Chewy Molasses Cookies​

These chewy molasses cookies have pretty much everything going for them. Easy to make, slightly sweet, sorta chewy, and filled with a blend of traditional holiday spices. The hardest part is having the patience to let them cool.

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​Spiced Gingerbread With Lemon Glaze​

The combination of warm ginger and tangy lemon may seem like an unlikely partnership but believe me, it is one to try. Serve this cake for morning or afternoon tea, or warm as a dessert with cream or ice cream.

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​Spiced Carrot Cake​

This spiced carrot cake is made with all the goodness of the classic including carrots, cinnamon, walnuts, and cream cheese frosting, but has an slightly exotic edge with the addition of chai tea and cardamom. A slightly more grown-up version of the original.

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​Lahori Chicken Curry With Potatoes​

Lahori chicken curry is a traditional and memorable dish that celebrates the inimitable spice masalas of Pakistan. Ginger, cumin, coriander, cardamom, and chiles are just the beginning.

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​Chicken Biriyani​

Chicken biriyani is made with chicken marinated in yogurt, chile powder, and garam and biriyani masala layered with fragrant, spiced basmati rice, and caramelized onions.

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​Macedonian Spiced Chicken​

Macedonian spiced chicken livens up your everyday chicken by marinating it in a blend of paprika, cinnamon, cayenne, and garlic before roasting it all on a bed of sliced onions. Smoky, a little spicy, and outstandingly juicy, this chicken dish will become a cool-weather favorite.

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​Sheet Pan Chicken With Apples, Bacon, & Brussels Sprouts​

Sheet pan chicken with apples, bacon, and Brussels sprouts with an autumn-ish union of root vegetables, sweet apples, and smoky bacon, is certainly not for autumn only. It’s a year-round staple in our household, and we really unlocked the sheet pan chicken secret when, one night, we added pomegranate molasses to the mix for a burst of sweetness and acidity. This turned out to be a very good decision.

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