Shichimi Togarashi Japanese 7-Spice Cookies

The Japanese kanji characters for “shichimi” is 七味, which directly translates to “7-flavors”.

It is a red spice blend with a combination of spices like dried togarashi chilis, black and white sesame seeds, dried yuzu, ginger, hemp seeds, sansho peppers and sometimes even seaweed! It’s commonly put in soups or noodle dishes in Japan like somen, soba or udon, but I have been loving putting it in these buttery cookies for a little spicy & sweet treat!

Is it spicy?! My tolerance isn’t the highest…

So when my mom first baked these cookies, I was a bit hesitant. Shichimi SPICE in a COOKIE? SPICY COOKIES?! I love the taste of spicy food, but too much of it makes my stomach hurt. THESE THOUGH?! Something about the floral-ness of the shichimi spice from the yuzu and ginger, plus the nuttiness of the seeds — this spice was meant to be in these cookies.

The perfect cookies for when you need a last minute dessert!

These are my go-to cookies for when I need something in a pinch because you can make the dough beforehand and freeze it until you’re ready to bake it!

If you choose this method, be sure to let the dough thaw a bit until it’s soft enough to cut the dough cylinder into the cookie width. If you can gently press into the cookie dough with your finger and leave a dent, then you’re ready to bake!

Baking tips!

• Round out the edges after cutting the cookie dough to get a nice circle shape.
• Bake these cookies for 14 minutes to get a more crumbly and soft cookie. Baking for the full 16 minutes get you a more crunchy cookie — both are great!
• I HIGHLY recommend sprinkling shichimi on top of your cookies for added flavor and bonus points for the way they look!
• If you can’t eat egg for any reason, feel free to use milk instead of the egg wash to get the shichimi to stick. You can put the spice on without anything, but just know that the shichimi will fall off easier later.

I can’t recommend these shichimi togarashi cookies enough! They have become a staple in my household and I crave them all the time now. The spicy togarashi chili flavor with the floral and nutty citrus peel and sesame seeds keep me wanting to eat so many of these cookies. I hope you bake these and add a little spice to your day!

Itadakimas! いただきます！

Japanese Shichimi Togarashi Cookies 七味唐辛子クッキー

Spicy and sweet Japanese shichimi spice cookies bound to keep you wanting to eat more of these buttery, spicy but floral crispy cookies!

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

*Minimum* Resting Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dessert, Snack

Cuisine American, Japanese

Servings 25 Cookies

Ingredients

  

• 40 g softened butter
• 28 g sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tsp Vanilla extract
• 55 g almond powder
• 60 g flour
• ½ tbsp shichimi spice

Instructions

 

• Mix together the butter and sugar until it becomes a fluffy mixture.
• Add in your egg yolk and vanilla extract and mix.
• Mix in the almond powder.
• Sift in the flour and add the Shichimi spice
• Use a spatula to fold the dry ingredients into the batter until the flour mixes into the batter.
• Place your dough on a piece of plastic wrap large enough to roll the batter into a 1-inch diameter square log. (I like to use a box to push down on the sides of the batter to create a square shape— this make it easier for later when you are going to cut and bake the dough).
• Place your dough into the freezer for at least 15 minutes.
• NOTE*** If you are baking this at a later date, you can leave this batter in the freezer until you are ready to bake. Let it thaw at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until you can gently push into the dough then continue onto the baking step.
• TO BAKE: Preheat your oven to 355 F or 180 C.
• Once your dough is soft enough to cut into, but still firm enough that the butter hasn’t melted and it still retains its shape, slice into 2cm slices.
• Place the cookie dough on a baking sheet and sprinkle a bit of extra shichimi on the top of the cookies (*Optional but recommended: Coat the cookies in a thin layer of egg wash before sprinkling the Shichimi on to help it stick better to the cookies, plus the egg wash will make it a bit glossy).
• Bake for 14-16 minutes until the cookies are golden brown.
• Itadakimas!

Video

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkqaReQvS2e/

Notes

TIPS:

• Mold the cookies into a perfect circle shape right after you slice the dough before you bake the cookies.
• The egg wash before the extra Shichimi is optional but highly recommended!
• Once cooled, store in an air tight container for up to 1 week.

Keyword Easy Japanese food, Japan Flavor, Japanese Cookies, Japanese food, Japanese Shichimi, Japanese Spice, Shichimi, Shichimi Cookies, Shichimi Spice, Spice, Spicy, Spicy Cookies, Sweet & Spicy, Togarashi, クッキー, 七味, 七味クッキー