Gingersnaps with Crystallized Ginger
- December 17, 2005
- Cookies, Recipes
- 16 comments
This is another recipe from Real Simple, actually from the same article that I found the PB&J Crunch Cookies I made recently. One look at the ingredient list had me sold on these, though the picture certainly didn’t hurt. These cookies are jammed with a whole variety of spices, making them one of the more interesting ginger cookies I’ve had.
Most thick cookies than claim to be snappy actually turn out to be harder than rocks. So I was very plesantly suprised to find that they actually turned out to be quite crisp, without being hard. The day they were made, they were positively crunchy! After the first day, they did lose a little bit of the crunch, as so many cookies do, but the spices came forward just a bit more. The spicing is truely an excellent combination; the balance and blend of the spices is just right. Don’t be tempted so substitute some of the plain sugar for brown sugar in this recipe, as it will cause the cookies to loose some of their crunch.
The recipe originally called for forming the dough into logs, then chilling and slicing them. After trying both sliced and dropped cookies, I decided to simply form the dough into balls. The non-sliced cookies had a prettier final appearance and, though the sliced ones remained a bit crunchier even days later, I prefered the texture of the hand-formed cookies. Refrigerating the dough in its bowl for about 30 minutes gives it a chance to rest and evenly distribute the moisture, making it easier to form into balls.
Gingersnaps with Crystallized Ginger
(from a Real Simple recipe)
4 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups granulated sugar, plus more for coating
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
In a large bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and black pepper.
In another large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs in one by one, followed by molasses, balsamic vinegar and vanilla. Either by hand or with the mixer on low speed, gradually stir in all the flour, adding the minced ginger with the last addition. Stir until all flour is combined.
Form dough into 1- 1 1/2 inch balls, roll in extra sugar and place on baking sheet. Press cookies to flatten slightly and bake for 10-12 minutes at 375, until browned around the edges.
Makes 5 dozen.
16 Comments
OMG… these are going in my christmas cookie tins.. I love ginger snaps ..
Oh god these look good!
My Christmas cookie doughs are already prepared. At the last minute I added a rolled spice cookie (which I’ve been nibbling raw since last night).
Thank god for your recipe index, nic, ’cause I know I want to come back to these later.
Gorgeous!
We’ve practically been making ourselves sick by eating too many Double Ginger Crackles from Fine Cooking. They are very similar to these, crystallized ginger and hand rolled.
Oh, these are another ginger cookies!. They look yummy.
I made your spiced up ginger cookies yesterday. Of course they are fabulous. I wonder the taste of these ginger cookies becase of more little ground ginger and balsamic vineger.
LOVE LOVE LOVE ginger cookies! These are going on ly list of cookies to bake! Great post!
Do you think ginger could be one of those things like dark chocolate that need older taste buds to fully appreciate? I used to just hate ginger and heavily spiced pastry. Now I love it and nibble on candied ginger.
Anyone tried The Ginger People’s stuff? Those Ginger Delights are sensational.
Hi Rainey. I love the Ginger People’s candies, too. I usually have a bag stashed away in my glove box for long commutes. As though there are short commutes in LA….
Yummmm!
nic- I’m thinking your talking about the paper-wrapped chews. Look for the Ginger Delights at Whole Foods. They’re soft gels with a subtle ginger flavor. They’re super. ….except that you’ve got to wipe off a half ton of powdered sugar and still need a bib to eat them unless you want to be lookin’ like you’ve got a substance problem. ;> Definitely NOT car food but yummy nevertheless.
yum!! I absolutely adore gingersnaps. I haven’t used crystallized ginger before. I’m dying to try it. I bet these are fantastic!!
LOVE crystallized ginger and, indeed, anything made by those wacky Ginger People. Lovely cookies.
Hi Nicole! I’ve been constantly eyeing your blog and since I just started mine a little while ago, I thoughtI should also start posting on other’s blogs too – especially when I have inquiries.
I’m prepping for Christmas baking (woo!) and finally settled on a cookie selection to send to my friends and whatnot. I’m not sure if I should do a gingersnap or a snickerdoodle. I was always fond of gingerbread and making plain ol’ gingerbread men were boring. If I were to do a gingersnap, I want to add something too it..but I don’t want the ginger to be too pungent.
If I were to add the crystalized ginger on top of the cookie, it wouldn’t take over in flavor, would it?
These are fanstastic. My husband said, “Best cookie I’ve ever had.” Next time, I think I’ll add more crystallized ginger, however. (I’m a ginger addict). Thanks for the recipe!
I tried veganizing these and they didn’t really work well (just as I suspected, christmas cookies are so touch and go without dairy). Apple sauce for the egg, margarine for the butter. Perahps shortening would have worked better. Thankfully they were still delicious! I just had to eat them with a spoon
what is mollasses ? we dont get it here in pakistan . can you please give a substitute for that ? thanks