When you are in the midst of an Arctic Vortex, you stay home and bake. You admire the brittle blue skies etched with sugar sparkling snow covered mountains, but from your kitchen window.
This cold weather cookie comes together quickly and quietly, no stand mixer required. It is a grown-up ginger cookie warm with spices, and rich with memories of tall glasses of milk. The secret that take it above and beyond other cookies is the generous spoonfuls of powdered ginger, plus freshly grated ginger, orange zest, cinnamon, cloves, black pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. The spices are bloomed in melted butter and sugar, and whisked until a simmer, then set aside to cool. Add a beaten egg, the flour mixture, and pop the dough into your refrigerator for a two hour nap.
These grown-up ginger cookies bake wafer thin, and snap when you break one in half to nibble with coffee, a glass of wine, or child-like- dip into a cold, glass of milk. Then the moment, when your home is filled with the heady fragrance of baking, you close your eyes and remind yourself of the Rubaiyat and Omar Khayyam: BE HAPPY FOR THIS MOMENT. THIS MOMENT IS YOUR LIFE.
| GROWN-UP GINGERSNAPS | Print |
- 217 grams (1⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon. baking soda (be sure baking soda is fresh, not baking soda that has been stored in the fridge
- 113 grams ( 8 tablespoons.) unsalted butter
- 100 grams (1/2 cup packed) light brown sugar
- 78 grams(6 tablespoons) white sugar
- 85 grams (1/4 cup) light corn syrup
- 2½ tablespoons ground ginger (yes, 2½ tbs)
- 1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon finely grated orange zest
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
- A pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 large egg, beaten
- Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling. You can also use rock sugar. It is white as opposed to the brown Turbinado sugar. If you don't have those sugars in your pantry use regular white sugar.
- If you do not have a digital scale and the smallest size ice cream scoop this could be the time to add them to your baking arsenal. Baking is a precise science and using scales can make a difference in the outcome of your baked goods. As well as using the correct amounts of ingredients, measuring something sticky, like corn syrup is less messy. Using an ice cream scoop makes portioning your dough much easier, especially when dealing with sticky dough like this recipe.
- Heat oven to 350F at least 30 minutes BEFORE you put the cookies in. Bake cookies on the center rack one sheet at a time.
- In a large bowl whisk together flour and baking soda and set aside.
- In a medium sauce pan combine the butter, both sugars, the corn syrup, both gingers, the cinnamon, orange zest, salt, cloves, black pepper and cayenne. As the butter melts stir with a wood spoon or whisk until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to simmer. Remove from the heat and turn out into a medium or large bowl to allow the mixture to cool quickly.
- Stir the egg into the cooled mixture until well combines and smooth.
- Add the dry ingredients and stir until no dry flour remains. The mixture will look very slack but will firm up.
- Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to 2 days well covered with plastic wrap.
- Line your baking sheets with parchment paper. Using the ice cream scoop measure out the dough. Place cookies 2-3 inches apart. These cookies really spread
- Or - Working with a tablespoon of dough at a time, use dampened hands to roll into balls.
- Lay a sheet of plastic wrap over the balls and use the bottom of a dry measuring cup to flatten each cookie to about ¼ inch thick.
- Remove the plastic and generously sprinkle each cookie with the turbinado or rock sugar..
- Bake until richly browned, 14 to 16 minutes, turning the sheet around half way through the baking. Depending on your oven cookies taken out at 14 minutes gives you a chewy cookie while those baked to 15-16 minutes you have a true gingersnap.
- Cool the cookies ON THE BAKING SHEET for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
- The cookies keep for up to a week in an airtight container - if they last that long.
