zing-a-ling … Crispy Chewy Ginger Cookies

Happy New Year! I’m moving a bit slowly into this one, taking my time, taking a while to get up to 2020 speed. A few weeks ago before my godsons went back to college, we cooked dinner together. Homemade wonton soup and a simple noodle stir fry dish. They’re young and learning how to cook and I coached one through the basics of a stir fry: screaming hot pan, everything cut to the same size, cooking in batches starting with the firmest vegetables. They did a great job and we enjoyed a delicious dinner made almost entire by them and their younger sister. I learned that having 3 young agile hands forming won tons, none of which were mine, is 100% the way to go.

A few days later, the middle kid sent me a photo of his first stir fry dinner: kung pao pork. I was so proud. He admitted to one mistake. Unable to find fresh ginger, he substituted crystallized ginger. While I applauded his ingenuity, I couldn’t hold back my giggles. Crystallized ginger is candied and very very different from fresh. Rather than skip the ingredient he found a substitute and learned a valuable lesson as he picked out every single, sweet sticky piece. Hey, you only make that mistake once.

Our conversation reminded me of the two or three open bags of crystallized ginger I had stashed away and how much I love it in baked things – like a good ginger cookie, soft and chewy but with crispy edges. My favorite Cajun Ginger Cookies has ginger x3 with dried, fresh, candied plus cayenne for a nice spicy kick, but they’re on the crispy side and not quite what I was going for. I was thinking something distinctly ginger, a little chewier, with a deeper, rounded spice flavor.

So I put together a dough, incorporating a good amount of dried ginger as well cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to round out the flavor. With bits of candied ginger, diced small enough so they’re not readily noticeable, it is one damn fine cookie with a distinct ginger flavor. While you don’t have to, these are much better rolled in a sugar of some sort before baking. I used coarse sugars, like turbinado and demerara, but also regular old granulated sugar and all were great, giving the cookies an undeniable sparkle and a great texture. Right out of the oven they are particularly good. Like incredibly good. The edges are crispy and the centers cool to a nice, pleasant chew. I brought half the batch to a party last night and they were gone in no time. People were asking for more. Now that’s a good cookie.

STRESS THERAPY BAKING FACTOR: ZING INTO THE NEW YEAR. The ginger kick in these cookies is just the thing we all need for these gloomy grey January days. Be sure to bake off a few extra, as you will eat them warm, right out of the oven. I am not kidding when I tell you I ate 10 of these, one after the other, while they were still warm. TWICE. They are crazy addictive and utterly delicious.

11 years ago: Khachapuri (cheesy Georgian bread)
10 years ago: Classic Vanilla Bean Cheesecake, Bacon Wrapped Dates, Cheddar Monkey Bread, Baked Squash Bread Pudding, Classic White Sandwich Bread, Waffled Aloo Parantha
9 years ago: Caramelized Roasted Pears, Navy Bean Soup, Music in the Kitchen, Quiche Lorraine & Caramelized Onions, Molasses Bran Muffins
8 years ago: Steel Cut Oats on the Go, Strecca di Nonna (Stick Bread), Posole Verde, Sweet Corn Cookies with Salt & Pepper Buttercream, Roasted Banana Sorbet
7 years ago: Hoppin’ John, Sunday Gravy, Swedish Cardamom Buns, Creamsicles, Caramel Corn Rice Krispie Treats
6 years ago: Potato Pizza, Baked Jelly Donuts
5 years ago: Rumaki (chicken livers and water chestnuts wrapped in bacon)
4 years ago: Savory Salami and Cheese Bread, Post Holiday Granola, Cranberry Pecan Harvest Crisps, Whole Wheat Fig Bars
3 years ago: Ideas for Using Post Holiday Leftovers, Chicken Wing Friday – Kimchi Buffalo Wings, Cheese Boeregs (savory turnovers), Greek Peasant Salad, Chicken & Wild Rice Soup, Date Nut Bread
2 years ago: Pretty Good Simple Chocolate Cake, Moroccan Baghrir (1,000 Hole Crepes)
last year: National Tempura Day – Tempura Shrimp, Chili Crisp for Hot & Spicy Food Day, Dooky Chase’s Sweet Potato Biscuits

CRISPY CHEWY GINGER COOKIES
Makes about 7 dozen 2” cookies
I like these on the smaller side – Tablespoon sized balls will yield 2” cookies – but you can make them bigger if you like. Or smaller.

for the cookie dough:
2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon kosher salt
12 Tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature (¾ cup/1 ½ sticks)
¾ cup light brown sugar, packed
½ cup sugar
¼ cup unsulphured molasses
1 large egg
1/3 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (about 1 ½ ounces)

for rolling:
½ cup sugar, granulated or coarse (such as turbinado or demerara)

1. For the dough: Whisk the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt together until combined. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-high until light and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3. On medium, add the molasses and mix until combined.
4. Add the egg and mix until combined. Scrape.
5. On low, slowly add the dry ingredients in several additions and mix until combined.
6. Add the chopped ginger and mix until well incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky at this point.
7. Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap, wrap tightly and refrigerate for at least one hour or up to 2 days. (Pop into a freezer bag, label and freeze up to 3 months if you like. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator before continuing. )
8. To bake: preheat the oven to 350°F with racks in the lower and upper thirds of the oven. Line 2-3 sheet pans with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Set aside.
9. Roll the chilled dough into Tablespoon sized balls and place on the prepared sheet pan. If the dough has softened, place the sheet pan back in the refrigerator to chill until firm, at least 30 minutes. (If you like, freeze the tray and once the dough balls are frozen, pop into a Ziploc bag labeled with the cooking temp and time and freeze up to 3 months.)
10. Place the rolling sugar in a shallow bowl and roll the cookie balls around to fully coat. (If you’re using frozen dough balls, leave them out for 5-10 minutes to defrost slightly while the oven preheats to allow the sugar to stick better.)
11. Place the sugared cookie balls 2” apart on the prepared sheet pans.
12. Bake for 8-10 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking, until edges are set.
13. Remove from the oven and gently bang the pan to allow the cookies to collapse (this helps create the distinct crinkles).
14. Cool on the sheet pans for 2 minutes before sliding the parchment sheet to a wire rack (or a counter) to cool completely.
15. Cookies will stay fresh, tightly wrapped, at room temperature for 1 week.