This cousin of Gingerbread cookies was a lovely addition to a recent family dinner – just the right balance of crispness and chewiness, and just enough icing.
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups (325 g) all-purpose flour*
2 1/4 tsp (11.25 ml) baking soda
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) salt
1 tbsp (15 ml) ground ginger
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) ground allspice
1/2 tsp (2.5 ml) cinnamon or Garam Masala (optional)
Pinch of Mahlab (optional)
1/8 tsp (0.625 ml) ground pepper (optional)
1 tsp (5 ml) fresh grated ginger, liquid squeezed out* (optional)
42 g grated (about 2 tbsp) crystallized/candied ginger, finely diced
3/4 cup (170 g/6 oz) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup (100 g/3.5 oz) granulated sugar
1/2 cup (100 g) packed light-brown sugar
6 tbsp (120 g) cooking molasses
1 large egg, room temperature if possible
My Favorite Royal Icing
Sprinkles – sanding sugar
*Add 1 Tbsp flour if using fresh grated ginger
Directions
- Preheat oven to convection 325°C/163°F or regular 350°C/180°F, one rack in the middle or two racks in the lower and upper thirds. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats or parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice and garam masala, mahlab, and black pepper if using any/all of these last three ingredients. Add minced crystallized ginger to flour – if using – and mix through with your hands until pieces are separate and dispersed.
- Cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup of granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the molasses, egg and, if using, fresh-grated ginger. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a rectangle, wrap in plastic, and freeze for at least 20 minutes.
- On two more baking mats (if you have them) or a silicon mat, roll half the dough to 1/4″ thick and cut out your shapes. A 2 3/4 (7 cm) round cutter makes a good-sized cookie. Feel free to use whatever shape you’d like. Lightly flour a bench scraper and place it underneath the dough where you are cutting the cookie. Place the cookies on the lined pans about 2 inches (5 cm) apart – 12 to a sheet. Place the pans back in the fridge for at least 15 minutes. They can be frozen at this point.
- Bake for 4 minutes, rotate the pan, and bake for about 3 minutes more, about 7 minutes in all. They should be barely firm. Remove immediately to a cooling rack.
- Cool the cookies completely and ice with My Favourite Royal Icing and, if using, decorate with sanding sugar.
- To freeze the iced cookies, let them dry for a day, especially if the icing is in a thick layer. Once the icing is completely dry, place the cookies in a ziplock bag – in a single layer – and freeze flat. They travel well if handled gently.
Measuring Molasses
If you are using a measuring cup, spray the inside with non-stick spray or coat lightly with butter or neutral oil before measuring out the molasses.
Adapted from the Giant Ginger Cookies recipe, marthastewart.com