Now, the first thing you should know about these cookies, is that they are not for the faint of heart. These incredible cookies, compliments of the ifyougiveablondeakitchen.com site, are for true lovers of gingerbread and ginger cookies. They are simply the best soft ginger cookies I have ever tasted. And because they are crinkle cookies, they are beautiful as well as delicious. And doesn’t everyone appreciate a beautiful cookie? Of course, we do!
But I must emphasize that these are strongly flavored cookies. The word wimpy could never be applied to them. They are gingery with a capital G. And the texture too is perfect. But because of their pronounced ginger flavor, I doubt they would be the preference of say, a 5-year-old. So, don’t share them with a 5-year-old! Simple solution. Keep them for yourself! (That’s OK to do, you know!) Give the child an animal cracker. (That is, if they even make them any longer.) If not, find some other innocuous cookie to pawn off on the kid. And no, I never did that with my own children, but I think it’s OK if you do! I always made cookies that everyone in the family would enjoy. But I’ve since learned that doing something just for myself is OK. The earth will not stop spinning, summer will still follow spring, and no one really gives a rip anyway! But, whatever you do, make a batch of these cookies. They are really, really tasty.
As always, have fun baking. Have fun cooking. And if you’re like me, try to enjoy preparing salads rather than thinking of them as endurance contests. Because veggie salads are our friend. And don’t forget to make your own salad dressings. First of all, fresh dressings are delicious. And if you build your own dressing you know exactly what you are eating rather than depending on the kindness of strangers not to include unpronounceable ingredients like Phosphoric Guanylate, Disodium Inosinate, Sorbic Acid, and Calcium Disodium Edta! (Whatever they are!) Manufacturers simply have no choice but to add various stabilizers, preservatives, and even synthetic flavorings. It’s what they do! But that doesn’t mean you have to buy their products. You can fight the system and build you own dressings. I call it – using common sense!
Peace and love to all.
3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour, fluffed
¾ c. brown sugar, packed
¾ tsp. baking soda
1 T. ground cinnamon
1 T. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. kosher salt
12 T. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into ½-inch cubes
¾ c. molasses (not blackstrap)
2 T. milk
granulated sugar
powdered sugar
In the bowl of your stand mixer, stir the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt together until combined. Add the butter pieces and beat until the mixture is sandy and resembles fine meal.
Reduce the speed to low and, with the mixer running, gradually add the molasses and milk. Mix until the dough is evenly moistened and thoroughly combined. Don’t over mix.
Using an ice cream scoop (I use my #40 – 1½ tablespoons ice cream scoop), drop balls of dough right next to each other on a waxed paper lined baking sheet. (Make sure the baking sheet you use will fit in your refrigerator.) After you have scooped all the dough, roll each scoop in your hands to form smooth compact balls. (This takes no time at all and is a necessary step.) Place the pan uncovered in your refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Meanwhile put a bit of granulated sugar in one shallow mixing bowl, and some powdered sugar in another shallow bowl. (I don’t give specific amounts here because you should start with a small amount of each and add more as required.)
After the two-hour cooling off period, roll each ball in granulated sugar then in powdered sugar. Place 1-inch apart on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.
Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12-14 minutes, or until the top feels set, but you would swear on a bag of Cheetos that the middle was not done! Truly, the cookies will feel a bit squishy in the middle. That’s what you want. Do not over bake.
Remove from the oven and cool on the sheets 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature.
