Ultimate Ginger Cookies…perfect for a Fall day.
I absolutely LOVE spicy ginger cookies. When I was little, my mom used to buy gingersnaps and I would eat them after school, slowly, savoring the spicy and sweet combination. Today, whenever I am driving by Cheeseboard Bakery, a great pizza place and bakery in Berkeley, I have to stop to buy one of their deliciously huge, soft, and chewy ginger cookies.
For quite some time now, I have been experimenting with different ginger cookie recipes, in search of the perfect one. Sometimes they come out too dry, not gingery enough, or just not to my liking.
This past weekend, as I was driving home from Berkeley to visit my family in Southern California, I noticed the breeze was a bit stronger and leaves were turning a warm brown as the world embraced the autumn season. I decided, it was time for another attempt at making this heartwarming cookie. This time, they passed the test!
Here’s what I did…
What I was listening to: “Baby I’m In” by Keith Urban
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Wet Ingredients:
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed (otherwise the cookies will be too sweet!)
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup softened butter
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
- 1 tsp fresh grated ginger
- 1/2 – 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (as you like)
- Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies
Instructions.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine all of your dry ingredients: flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Mix well with a wire whisk, or with your hands.
In a separate bowl, suitable for an electric mixer, combine the brown sugar, oil, butter, and molasses. Mix well with an electric mixer until thoroughly combined (about 3-5 minutes). Slowly add the egg. Continue mixing as you add in the freshly grated ginger (a key ingredient!).
It’s time for dry to meet wet. Gradually add in your dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients in increments, as you mix the batter. The batter should be slowly thickening, and turning to a rich brown color. Finally, add in the crystallized ginger – this plays a huge role in making your cookies remain moist and chewy on the inside.
Next, pour some granulated sugar on a small plate. Grab a handful of cookie dough, roll it into a ball, and flatten into a disk, about 1/2 inch thick. Coat both sides of the disk lightly in the granulated sugar (This is what makes the cookies sparkle when they come out of the oven!). If the dough is too sticky, or sticking on your hands, cover and refrigerate the dough for about a half hour.
Then, evenly place your cookies onto a baking sheet – they will spread out a little. P ut the baking sheet into the oven and set the timer for 13-14 minutes. In no time, your kitchen will start smelling absolutely heavenly…like warm gingerbread. When done, the cookies will be firm, and maybe cracking on the outside, but nice and chewy on the inside.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack.
Note: You can determine what size of cookie you would like to make, depending on how big you choose to make your cookie disks. Larger cookies will take longer to bake in the center than smaller ones, so be sure to check on them in the oven.
(Photo courtesy of the Food Network)
These ginger cookies are bursting with spicy ginger flavor, deliciousness, and warmth. Great on a November day with a cup of tea or apple cider.
Yum.
