When my friend Sarah at Room For Tuesday asked me to take part in a holiday themed, Blog Hop Cookie Swap with some of my all-time fave bloggers, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to try out Dorie Greenspan’s Gingersnap cookie recipe (from her book, Dorie’s Cookies) that I’ve had bookmarked for months…err… maybe years. With holiday parties around the corner (we have two on Saturday alone), cookies are the easiest dessert to bring that are so conducive to sharing and universally beloved.
I love these gingersnaps because they’re soft and chewy, but also crisp and light enough that you don’t feel like you’re overindulging. At this time of the year, it’s nice to have a cookie that’s subtly sweet and pairs especially well with tea or coffee for a mid-day treat. I also love that a coffee break is the perfect opportunity to break out the vintage dishes that I pick up whenever I’m out thrifting, since they’re typically smaller than standard dishes and elevate a simple moment of enjoying two of the best indulgences in life: cookies and coffee.
In this recipe, the ginger comes in multiple forms: ground, fresh and candied, and it makes for a complex flavour. Ginger is one of my all-time favourite ingredients and we use it in practically everything and always have it on-hand.
The dough comes together quickly in a food-processor and then gets refrigerated for a few hours before baking, where that’s a good point to divide and freeze the dough, thawing and baking the cookies in smaller batches as you need them.
Dorie’s Princeton Gingersnap Cookies
Makes 3 dozen
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped moist, pliable crystallized ginger
- 1 teaspoon plus 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 scant teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons , 6 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup unsulfered molasses
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- turbinado (or granulated) sugar for dredging
Instructions
- Place the fresh ginger and crystallized ginger in a small bowl. Top with 1 teaspoon of sugar. Stir and set aside for about 10 minutes.
- In a medium bowl whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon cloves, ground ginger, and salt. Set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment add butter, remaining 1 cup of sugar, and molasses. Add the sugared ginger and pulse to incorporate.
- With the machine running, add the egg and vanilla and continue to process until blended. Scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure that everything is evenly mixed.
- Add the dry ingredients and pulse until the flour is almost entirely blended in. Remove the food processor from the machine and use a spatula to fully incorporate.
- Scrape the dough onto a piece of plastic wrap and wrap into a disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- To bake, place two rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and place dredging sugar in a shallow bowl. Spoon dough into heaping tablespoon balls and toss in sugar to coat. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 12 minutes until fragrant and crisp around the edges. Remove from the oven, allow to cool on the rack for 20 minutes before placing on a wire rack.
- To store the cookies, place in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 6 days.
Make sure to check out all the other incredible cookie recipes (and interiors inspo!) by this talented bunch of design bloggers! I know that I’m going to be baking up a storm with these recipes between now and the end of the year.
Room for Tuesday | Making it Lovely | Kate Lester Interiors | Life On Virginia Street
Claire Staszak | Bria Hammel Interiors | House Of Hipsters | Place St. Russell
Francois et Moi | Coco Kelley | Jojotastic
Boxwood Avenue | Simply Grove | Anita Yokota
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