Of all the holiday culinary traditions my family holds near and dear (hazelnut biscotti, Venetian tri-color cookies, and a seven-course Christmas Eve fish dinner, better known as “La Vigilia”, to name a few), I must admit that my favorite is quite possibly the simplest: the gingersnap. Perfect alone or paired with hot cocoa, tea or even coffee (and excellent in ice cream sandwiches, by the way), the gingersnap conjures up many memories. So I thought it only appropriate that my foray into the Annual Workman Holiday Cookie Exchange spotlight a cookie that proves to be a perennial crowd favorite (and is also a breeze to whip up).
For this recipe, I turned to Food to Live By: The Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook. Written by Myra Goodman, co-founder of Earthbound Farm, Food to Live By features over 260 scrumptious yet casual recipes that emphasize using fresh, local, organic foods as often as possible.
The ingredient list is pretty easy to complete and features the typical stars: molasses, ginger, and plenty of sugar. But it also calls for whole-wheat pastry flour, which is available at any health food store or Whole Foods. Pastry flour, as the authors explain, is lighter than regular flour, and results in a more airy cookie (and the whole-wheat aspect makes me feel a tiny bit healthier).
The steps involve mixing, beating, and rolling tablespoons of dough into small balls (three steps – my kind of recipe). 20 minutes later, the cookies were cooling, and the finished product was perfect: a bit chewy on the inside, but crisp on the outside; sweet, but with that familiar bite of ginger. A neighbor down the hall even commented on how good they smelled (a testament to the ingredients, and the apparent proximity of New York City apartments).
And my co-workers seemed to agree. Happy Holidays to All!
Earthbound Farm Ginger Snaps
Makes about 30 Cookies
12 T. (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup molasses
2 t. ground ginger
1 t. ground cinnamon
2 t. baking soda
½ t. salt
1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or waxed paper and set them aside.
2. Place the butter and 1 cup of the sugar in a medium-size mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and molasses and beat until combined, about 1 minute.
3. Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl.
4. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture and beat until the dough is smooth.
5. Roll pieces of the dough between your palms to form 1-inch balls. Lightly dip the tops of the balls in the remaining ½ cup of sugar. Arrange the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, sugar side up, 2 inches apart.
6. Bake the cookies until they are very fragrant and cracks appear on top, 8 to 12 minutes.
7. Place baking sheets on a wire rack and let cool 5 minutes. Then, using a spatula, remove the cookies from the baking sheet and place them directly on the rack to finish cooling. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container for 1 month.
No Comments