Spiced Ginger Snaps

As it is pretty well-documented here, I not that into Christmas cookies in the traditional sense of the word. Don’t let me confuse you – I am ALWAYS interested in cookies, but I haven’t dug into the whole sugar cookie/sparkly/frosting/fun shapes thing in many, many years. I suspect that one day I will be very much into them once again, but for now, I am all for cookies like molasses crinkles, orange and chocolate sables, and chocolate peppermint crinkles.

 
This year, I felt myself looking for a cookie with a bit of spice and wholesomeness to it – something that would go especially well alongside my afternoon mug of hot tea.  The type of cookie that I can nibble on quietly when I’m working at my desk or at the end of a long day. (Note: I am currently on my second cold of the season, so my tea consumption has gone up quite a bit lately.)

While I have long loved the ginger snap, it was our recent trip to Ireland that made me especially fond of the tea and cookie combination. There, whenever you order a pot of tea or coffee, it comes with a few little non-descript looking cookies. While they don’t look like much, they make up for it in their deep, spiced flavor.  {I also wanted to take this opportunity to share a few more Ireland shots – I was so impressed Dublin, and found it to be be hip and cosmopolitan. I especially loved the Powerscourt Centre, which is where I would hang out all the time if I lived in Dublin. By the way, I totally fell in love with that wreath up on the top of this post. I want to learn how to make beautiful things like that. It wasn't until after I took the picture that I realized it was called the "New England" wreath. Ha! } 

I went looking for a great ginger snap recipe upon my return home, and I soon came across this recipe on David Lebovitz’s site. As one of my go-to baking experts, I knew that he would lead me in the right direction. It didn’t hurt that he had actually adapted the recipe from his former boss, Alice Waters. I bumped up the spices a bit, so that event this little non-descript looking cookie would get the attention it deserved. It goes equally well with hot tea, coffee, and yes, even a steaming mug of hot port. 

Spiced Ginger Snaps
Adapted from David Lebovitz, who adapted it from The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (Clarkson Potter) by Alice Waters.

Makes 40-50 cookies

Notes:  To make these cookies even spicier, consider adding freshly ground black pepper or freshly grated ginger. 

Because the dough can be refrigerated or frozen, this is a great thing to have on hand during the holiday season. I baked one half right away and saved the second dough log for later – it will be great to have ready to go if I have unexpected guests or need a quick homemade gift. 

Last but not least – these can certainly be jazzed up a bit. I know that not everyone is as in an austere mood as I am right now. Add sanding sugar or other fun decorations if you’d like!

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2 cups flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1½ teaspoons ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
11 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature

Directions:

In a medium sized-bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Put aside. 

In a separate, larger bowl, beat the butter just until soft and fluffy (using a stand-mixer, a hand-mixer or by hand). Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down any butter clinging to the sides of the bowl. Stir in the vanilla, molasses and egg.

Mix in the dry ingredients gradually until the dough is smooth. Divide the dough in two equal portions and roll each on a lightly-floured surface until each is about 2-inches around. 

Wrap each in plastic wrap then roll them lightly on the counter to smooth them out into round logs. Refrigerate, or better yet, freeze the cookie logs until firm.

When you are ready to bake them, preheat the oven to 350˚F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

With a sharp knife, slice the cookie dough into 1/4-inch rounds.  Place the rounds on baking sheet, spaced evenly apart. Leave a couple of inches between cookies since they’ll spread while baking.

Bake for 10-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until deep-golden brown. The cookies will puff up a bit while baking, then flatten when they’re done. I like my ginger snaps to be, well, snappy, so I bake them on the longer end of the range, but if you like chewy cookies, bake for less time (closer to 10 minutes). 

Let the cookies cool two minutes on the baking sheet, then remove them with a spatula and transfer them to a cooling rack.

Storage: The dough can be refrigerated for up to five days, or frozen for up to three months. Once baked, the cookies can be kept in an air-tight container for a couple of days but like anything made with butter, of course they’re best the day they’re baked (though, I found that they still tasted pretty fantastic a week later… especially dunked in tea!)