Thursday, October 3, 2013

Soft Ginger Cookies


From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I dearly love the apple and pumpkin desserts that are served at this time of year, but I'm equally fond of gingerbread and pastries that are made with fresh or dried ginger. Spicy ginger cookies are the perfect treat to serve with a mug of warm apple cider, and, fortunately, most recipes for them are truly easy to make. The cookie I'm featuring tonight is a softer version of the classic old-fashioned gingersnap. This cookie is crisp at the edges but has a soft and chewy center. The dough used to make the cookies stays slightly stickly, so you will want to refrigerate it before you start to form the cookies. Even then, I find the dough easier to work with when I have wet hands. The time listed in the recipe below should be viewed as a suggestion or starting point for baking the cookies. I had to bake mine for 15 minutes before they were firm enough to move from the trays. This cookie is sweeter than most versions of gingersnaps and I think they taste better if they are allowed to mellow for a day before serving. These cookies may be too spicy for children to enjoy, but adults, particularly those who have a sweet tooth, will gobble them up. The use of raisins in this recipe is completely optional. I do not use them because my brain refuses to reconcile the use of raisins in this type of cookie. I do hope you'll give this recipe a try. It is easy to make and the cookies are delicious. Here is the recipe.


Soft and Spicy Ginger Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Food.com

Ingredients:
3/4 cup butter-flavored shortening
1 cup + 2 tablespoons white sugar, divided use
1/4 cup molasses
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup water
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raisins, (optional)

Directions:
1) In a large bowl, cream together shortening and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.
Stir in molasses.
2) Mix water and baking soda together. Stir into creamed mixture.
3) Sift together flour, salt, and dry spices and gradually add to creamed mixture.
4) Gradually stir sifted ingredients, along with ginger and raisins, into creamed mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll them in reserved 2 tablespoons of sugar. (The dough may be too soft to handle at this point- I suggest either adding a bit of flour, or refrigerating for 20 minutes[or even overnight]).
5) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place the cookies 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets, and flatten slightly. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to complete cooling. Yield: 40 cookies.

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15 comments :

Sparkly Jules said...

Hi Mary,

I love ginger cookies, especially in fall. I will be making these. But can I replace the shortening with butter or marg without sacrificing taste or texture?

Thanks,

Jules

Ginny Hartzler said...

Yum!! My favorite kind of coolies are the crisp edges and soft center.

Mary Bergfeld said...

Jules, Use margarine. For reasons I don't fully understand, these cookies don't work well when made with butter. Have a great day. Blessings...Mary

Lynn said...

They sound great, I love the addition of fresh ginger:@)

Coleens Recipes said...

I totally agree about letting spice cookies mellow for a day or so. These look wonderful!!

debbie said...

Love this Mary...and it's vegan!!!!! Another one of your wonderful
recipes for me to try!

Kim said...

I really really enjoy gingersnaps1 These soft ones will please me I know it. So I will have to bake these:)

Arthur in the Garden! said...

Yummy!

Unknown said...

When I was a kid, my grandma always had ginger snaps in her pantry... and although I loved the, I always wished they were softer. These are definitely on my must make list.. it will be bring back such wonderful memories!!

kitchen flavours said...

I like ginger cookies, but not my kids. All the more for me to enjoy! Thanks for sharing, hope you have a lovely weekend ahead!

David said...

Mary, Ginger cookies are one of my better half's top 5 cookies...and in my opinion soft is better than hard when it comes to ginger cookies! Thanks for the recipe... Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Diane said...

Right up my street I love ginger. Have a good day. Diane

Joanne said...

I'm imagining these with a hot cup of tea...soooo good.

scrambledhenfruit said...

Ginger cookies have always been my favorites! I'd leave out the raisins too. :)

Cindy said...

I am ready for ginger cookies--such a classic. Sometimes I drizzle white chocolate on them. I doesn't hurt!

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