Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Gingersnaps

gingersnaps


So all kinds of gingerbread cookies, houses etc have been popping up all over the blogosphere to welcome Christmas. I've been curious about the taste for years, but since I'd never tried any sort of ginger-y baked good before, I was always apprehensive about making them, I don't really have an experimental palate, I'm actually pretty picky when it comes to food. But seeing them almost everywhere, I decided to have a go at them, fully expecting to hate them, which is why I only made a half batch, something that I totally regret now!


These cookies surprised me, they were soo good! Crunchy to the extent of being almost crispy, while still kind of soft in the center. I expected to be put off by all the spices, but they were truly wonderful, a very different cookie, but one that's going into my 'regular' file for sure! I expect these would be perfect with some ice cream or dunked into some coffee, I wanted to try them like that but each time I would bake up a sheet of them, they'd be gone before I could even find the time to do that. I only just managed to click pictures. I'm going to bake up a full batch of these, like way soon!! The best part, these don't need to be rolled, shaped or cut-out, something that I really don't enjoy doing. Just slice, bake, and devour! These ugly misshapen things turn into perfectly formed, beautiful cookies!


gingersnaps dough



Gingersnaps
Adapted from The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters via David Lebovitz



2 cups [240 g] flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
11 tbsp [150 g] butter
2/3 cup [130 g] sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup [80 g] molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature - my batter almost seized because I didn't bother with this step, don't do that!


Coarse sugar for coating the cookies


Instructions -
  1. Sift together all the dry ingredients.
  2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and the sugar until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the egg, vanilla and molasses and beat till well incorporated.
  3. Add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
  4. Divide the dough into two more manageable protions, and wrap them in plastic wrap making a cylinder about 2 inches wide. I found the dough to be a little soft to handle well, so I just roughly shaped it, refrigerated for about half an hour, and then rolled on the counter to shape into a neat cylinder. Refrigerate or freeze until firm.
  5. To bake, preheat oven to 350 F [180 C]. Line two baking sheets with parchment or a silicone mat. 
  6. Slice the dough into roughly 1/4 inch thick rounds. Dip the tops into coarse sugar, and place on the baking sheet, leaving roughly 2 inches between cookies, because they will spread quite a bit.
  7. Bake for 10-14 minutes, rotating midway, till the edges are almost hard to the touch, while the centers will still feel quite soft. If you want the crispy, crunchy cookies, 14 minutes would be perfect, while 10 would be good for softer cookies.
  8. Cool on a wire rack, and store in an air-tight container, if there are any left!
  9. Serve with ice-cream, a pudding, or best yet, plain :D

    gingersnap cookies

22 comments:

  1. "Just slice, bake, and devour" I love that statement. :D

    These gingersnaps look dark, deep, and spicy! I'll have to add them to my holiday to-bake list.

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  2. Good for you for going outside your comfort zone and trying some new flavors! I'm glad it paid off. THis looks like a flavorful cookie, and I love the little bit of sparkle you get from the sugar.

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  3. Love the gingersnaps. It turns out to be a great dish I see. Send a peice my way next time you make some!

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  4. I'm the only one who likes ginger biscuits/ cookies in my house, but I'm amking some this year just for myself. :)
    Your gingersnaps look good with the crusted sugar. Did you use molasses or sub for it?
    Congratulations is being fetured in Grazia. I know what a thrill that is. :)

    Best wishes for the festive season and a very Happy New Year well in advance.

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  5. My husband is a gingersnap monster! Yours look so good I'm going to have to make these and wrap them up for Christmas! He works at home, so this may be a challenge, but will be so worth it!

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  6. Val - <3 You'll love me even more if you do ;)

    Irina - I actually love trying new flavors, problem is, I don't like them most of the time :P

    Faith - Going to make some next week. Come on over :)

    Aparna - You totally deserve to make these for yourself. I used molasses!

    vivisue - Lol. I doubt you'll be able to hide the wonderful smell of these.

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  7. These look delicious and I love the crunchy addition of the sugar crystals on top! :D

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  8. Oh how I love gingersnaps! They always remind me of Christmas and the chilly weather. Yours look absolutely delicoius!

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  9. Nice! Love the large sugar crystals on top. I recently made Dorie Greenspan's Molasses Cookies. Hubby loved them!!

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  10. Lorraine - Thanks <3

    Evan - Thank you. I shall now be associating it with winter :)

    Hanaa - I had seen and considered making that recipe, but somehow went with this one in the end!

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  11. Those look awesome! Loving ginger cookies right now.

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  12. First time here..u have a really nice space here. The ginger snaps look very good..lovely pics.

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  13. Ooooh - gingersnaps are one of my very favorite cookies, and yours are beautiful!!!

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  14. Avanika,

    Just wondering when they look so good, how tasty will they be when put inside the mouth! Would like to see more such posts from you!

    Cheers!
    Team Soul Care,
    http://blog.soulcare.in/

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  15. Gorgeous...love gingersnaps but don't make them anymore coz we don't get molasses here now. Am curious about where you got yours from. Local brand? Merry Christmas Av... love the shiny sugah on them!

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  16. Ooooh, those look wonderful! I love that big chunky sugar on the outside too, I'll bet that gave it an awesome crunch.

    Congrats on your new boyfriend, I mean, mixer, LOL.

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  17. I just love the coarse sugar on these - it makes them look so festive!

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  18. These look really addictive. I can just imagine the crunch from the coarse sugar. I've been looking for some locally at a reasonable price since it is cookie season :).

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