2 Offbeat Ingredients That Make Duff Goldman's Favorite Cookies Unique

Duff Goldman may be known as a cake guy, but these days, he's proving that he's got a lot more range than just that. Though Goldman got his start on "Ace of Cakes," which followed the adventures of himself and his crew at his bakery Charm City Cakes, his newest television vehicle "Ace of Taste" shows just how broad the chef's skills in the kitchen really are. But while he does share savory recipes these days, he does still have an affinity for sweets.

Maybe it's just from trying so many versions of this sweet treat as a judge and host of "Kids Baking Championship," but it turns out that these days, Goldman is something of a cookie expert. He's shared some cookie advice in the past, like when he said that perfect cookies should look like they're wrinkled on top when they're done baking. Now, he's shared another exciting cookie tip. This time, the chef has revealed two unique spices that can help up the ante on your holiday cookie game this year, and unless you're from the Bethlehem, Pennsylvania area, chances are you'll find their inclusion pretty surprising.

Duff Goldman still loves cake, but his new cookbook "Super Good Cookies for Kids" reveals that he's just as passionate about the other celebratory sweet, cookies. One of the most unique recipes in the book, which Goldman told KTLA was his personal favorite, is Moravian Spice Cookies. Spice cookies, like gingerbread cookies and molasses cookies, are often served during the holidays, and while cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice, and even mace are often found in those spice cookies, Goldman's calls for ground mustard and white pepper. That's not something you see every day.

"They come from the Moravian community in Pennsylvania," Goldman explains. The Moravians are a cultural group descended from German religious leader Count Nicolaus von Zinzendorf, who founded Bethlehem, Pennsylvania (via Philadelphia Encyclopedia). Visit Winston-Salem explains that Moravians preferred to flavor their cookies with durable ingredients, such as clove and ginger, whose flavor would hold up during extended periods of travel. Goldman's version is different than the Moravian cookies famous in North Carolina, where a different group of Moravians settled. The chef says that "They taste like Christmas ... you taste it and it excites your mouth!" If you want to be as excited about cookies as you are for presents this holiday season, try adding some ground mustard and white pepper to your favorite spiced cookie recipe.