Chai Spiced Jaggery Caramel Cookies

STEP 1: PREPARE

Heat the oven to 375°F with a rack in the center. Line three light-colored baking sheets with parchment paper. Melt the butter and set it aside to cool until just warm. Stir the ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cardamom, ground cloves and black pepper together to make the chai spice blend.

STEP 2: MIX THE WET INGREDIENTS

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter with the jaggery powder and granulated sugar until smooth, pressing out any lumps of jaggery. Whisk in the egg, egg yolk and vanilla extract until glossy.

STEP 3: COMBINE THE DRY INGREDIENTS

In a second bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and chai spice blend together. Toss the chopped Medjool dates in 1 tablespoon of this mixture so the pieces stay separate.

STEP 4: MAKE THE DOUGH

Add the remaining dry mixture to the wet ingredients and stir with a spatula only until no dry streaks remain. Fold in the dates and the roughly chopped pistachios.

STEP 5: PORTION AND CHILL

Using a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop, portion 30 balls of about 1 1/4 oz (35 g) each, checking each one on a digital scale. Chill for 20 minutes so the dough firms and the flour hydrates. Do not press a well or crack into the balls; these cookies have no filling.

STEP 6: BAKE

Bake 8 cookies per sheet, one sheet at a time (the last batch has 6). At 7 minutes, lift the sheet about an inch and drop it flat onto the oven rack once to set ridged edges. Bake 3 to 4 minutes more, until the edges are set and golden but the centers still look pale and underdone. Rest the cookies on the sheet for 3 minutes, then move them to wire racks to cool completely. Use a cool sheet for each new batch.

STEP 7: MAKE THE JAGGERY CARAMEL

While the last batch bakes, melt the jaggery powder with the water in a small heavy saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring, until smooth and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Jaggery scorches quickly, so stay with the pan. Whisk in the warm cream and simmer until an instant-read thermometer reads 228°F. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the butter and salt. Cool for about 10 minutes, until the caramel is thick enough to fall from a fork in a thin ribbon.

STEP 8: DRIZZLE AND FINISH

Once the cookies are completely cold, drizzle the caramel over them in thin lines from a fork or a small piping bag with the tip snipped, using about 1/2 teaspoon per cookie. Repeat the same few lines on every cookie so the batch looks uniform. Scatter with the dried rose petals and finely chopped pistachios while the caramel is still tacky. Undrizzled cookies keep for 2 days in an airtight tin; finish them on the day of serving.