Moravian Scotch Cakes

These Moravian Scotch cakes are a Pennsylvania Dutch heritage cookie with roots in the old Moravian settlements of eastern Pennsylvania. Just four ingredients: flour, butter, sugar, and caraway seeds. No eggs, no leavening, no vanilla. The simplicity is the point.

The dough comes together like shortbread. You work cold butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until it forms a cohesive mass, roll it out, cut it into small squares, and bake low and slow. The caraway seeds add a warm, anise-like bite that’s unexpected in a cookie but completely traditional in Moravian baking.

Once cooled, each square gets a coat of boiled icing and a sprinkle of colored sugar, giving them a festive look that made them a staple at holiday gatherings and church sales in Moravian communities.

Chef Tips

• Keep the butter cold and work it in quickly with your fingertips. Warm butter melts into the flour and makes the dough greasy instead of flaky.
• Roll to a consistent ⅓ inch thickness. These are meant to be sturdy, not thin and crisp like a wafer.
• Bake at 325°F (165°C) and watch closely. The low temperature means they brown subtly, and the line between done and overdone is narrow.
• Let the cookies cool completely before icing. Warm cookies melt the icing into a sticky mess instead of a clean, set coat.

Variations

• Anise version: Swap caraway seeds for anise seeds for a sweeter, more licorice-forward flavor in the same tradition.
• Lemon icing: Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the boiled icing for a tart glaze that brightens the buttery cookie.
• No icing: Skip the icing entirely and dust with powdered sugar for a simpler, more rustic presentation.