Thursday, December 20, 2012

Double Ginger Snaps







From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...It somehow all gets done, and while I had my doubts this year, the house sparkles and the decorations, save for a small glitch with the color of poinsettias that were delivered, are everything what I wanted them to be. Christmas has come to this Oregon hillside. We've even had a bit of snow and for the last two mornings, the ridge line that fronts our home has been a pristine white. Oregon snow, at least at our elevation is a rare and short lived event, so it is especially nice to have it fall at Christmas time. The baking for our Sunday brunch is done and the breads and cookies I'll be serving are in the freezer waiting for the big thaw. The savories will involve a last minute push, but I'm up to that now that I can see all else is done. I'm actually looking forward to my own party. As I surveyed my kingdom tonight, I realized only one thing kept the moment from being perfect. The house needed cinnamon and ginger to balance the fragrance of the fir that was permeating the rooms on its first floor. The double ginger snaps I'm featuring tonight come from a recipe developed for Williams-Sonoma. They are next to no work to make, so I decided to bake a batch. While I combined wet and dry ingredients, the Silver Fox chopped ginger and our combined effort put cookies in the oven in less than 20 minutes. We were like kids waiting for them to cool. Simplicity has become important to me as I grow older and I love easy recipes that produce delicious result. This is one of those recipes. It makes a chewy, fragrant holiday cookie that I think you'll enjoy. My only caution regards the amount of time it takes to bake them. Time in the original recipe was grossly understated and my cookies needed almost 20 minutes to bake. These are wonderful with milk or a freshly brewed cup of coffee. I do hope you'll try the recipe. The cookies are easy to make and they are a wonderful old-world addition to your holiday cookie tray. Here's how they are made.

Double Ginger Snaps ...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Williams-Sonoma

Ingredients:
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup canola oil
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 whole egg, lightly beaten, plus 1 egg white
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 cup coarse sugar crystals

Directions:
1) Preheat an oven to 325 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets or line them with parchment paper.
2) Sift flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir oil, brown sugar and molasses until they are well blended. Add whole egg and beat to combine. Stir in flour mixture
In a large bowl, using a wooden spoon, stir together the oil, brown sugar and molasses until well blended. Add the whole egg and stir until blended. Fold in flour mixture, then stir in crystallized ginger.
4) Beat egg white in a small bowl. Spread sugar crystals in a shallow bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls with dampened hands. Brush each ball lightly with egg white and roll in sugar to coat lightly.
5) Place cookies 2-inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Bake until tops of cookies are set and crackled, about 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to wire racks and let cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies from pans and place on wire rack until completely cool. The cookies will firm as they cool. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.






One Year Ago Today: Figgy Pudding
















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14 comments :

Ginny Hartzler said...

These look big, fluffy, slightly chewy, and delicious! I am going to print the recipe and make them when I am better.

Tiffiny Felix said...

Yum! Ginger snaps are one of my favorite cookies! These look perfect... MmmMmmMm! :D

Manu said...

Beautiful cookies!!!
Merry Christmas
xox

Unknown said...

Oh, I'm sure the smell these cookies brought to your house was the perfect way to end the day! I love ginger snaps.. have loved them since I was a kid!!

Kim said...

Definitly gonna give these a try!!!! I love love thse beautilful cookies!

pam said...

I can't see their photo because I am school and it's blocking it!! But they sound lovely!

Tricia @ saving room for dessert said...

I don't think I would care how long they take to bake - I would be happy with the coffee and cookie time! Many blessings to you and yours for a wonderful holiday season!

Whats Cookin Italian Style Cuisine said...

Merry Christmas Mary hope your new year to come is the best ever!

Priya Suresh said...

They looks stunning, beautiful cookies.

Yvonne @ StoneGable said...

I'm not a baker... but I am making these... so so yummy!!! I always want to make everything you post!!!
Merry Christmas!

Sue/the view from great island said...

These cookies look really rich and spicy, and not too 'snap-ish', just the way I like them! Happy holidays, Mary!

Joanne said...

I'm so glad to hear everything is coming together! These cookies sound delicious. I love that they're DOUBLE ginger!

David said...

Mary, One of my wife's favorites cookies! She had me print it out so she could make some for Christmas. Thanks! Merry Christmas! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

BriAnna said...

Those look like delightful cookies! I might just have to try for myself :) Happy New year to you!!

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