Of all of the cookies I make during the holdiays these are always the ubiquitous favorite in my family. They are buttery and chewy with a lovely crispness on the edges and they scream ginger cookie! Some cookies claim to have ginger in them yet only sport a teaspoon or two; these babies have a whopping quarter of a cup ground ginger topped of with a half a cup of crystallized ginger. Their spicy sweetness is the perfect pairing for a cup of hot chocolate or steaming hot coffee!
The recipe that I based these cookies from was on the back of a package of Trader Joe’s crystallized ginger. That recipe, called for 1/2 cup of ground ginger. I was perplexed. I had never seen a recipe call for so much and I thought it must be a typo, but I went ahead and made it as written. The cookies that ensued were so stinkin’ hot that only my ex-husband could eat them.
I decided to turn those fiery nuggets into a streusel for sweet potatoes and thus was born another signature holiday dish. For future cookies, I halved the ginger, leaving them notably spicy but edible by most (although my ex still pines for the hot-hot ones!).
When I make these for little ones and sensitive palates I cut the ground ginger to 2 tablespoons and increase the flour accordingly.
I hope you enjoy this holiday favorite from my family to yours!
Happy baking!
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170 grams) unsalted butter softened-¾ cup, 1 ½ sticks
- 7 ounces (200 grams) granulated sugar- 1 cup plus more for rolling
- 2 ½ ounces (70 grams) molasses- ¼ cup
- 1 large egg
- 11 ¼ ounces (320 grams) all-purpose flour- 2 ¼ cups
- ¼ cup (60 milliliters) ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ cup (120 milliliters) crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped.
Instructions
- Mix together butter, sugar, molasses and egg in mixer bowl and beat well to combine; mix about 1 minute on medium-high speed. Whisk together flour, spices, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl. Add dry ingredients to butter-sugar mixture and stir on low until moistened. Stir in crystallized ginger on low speed.
- Chill dough for about 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Roll dough into 2-inch balls and roll in additional granulated sugar. Place on a cookie sheet about 2- inches apart. Bake for 9-11 minutes until golden on the edges. Remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Hi Summer
so glad you are back………I’ve missed your fabulous posts.I love a crunchie ginger biscuit (cookie), Will cooking this recipe a little longer create this, or, can I make thiem crunchie by adjusting the recipe? How?
Regards, Jenny
Hi Jenny, Thank you! This recipe will be crisper if you bake longer but I don’t know if they will ever get crispy. You may need to start with a recipe that is made to have a nice crunch to it. These are pretty chewy. 🙂
Ok, I love to bake, but I’m not good at making changes like subbing flour for ginger. I don’t think my family will like a really strong ginger flavor either, but would love to try this recipe. How much flour do you sub for cutting the ginger down to 2 tablespoons? Do you put in enough flour to make up for the amount of ginger that you don’t use in the recipe (i.e., 1/2 cup of flour minus 2 tablespoons)?
Hi Norma, Yes, you would just add 2 tablespoons of flour for the equivalent reduction in ginger. You could cut it down to 1 tablespoon as well with an added 5 tablespoons of flour. If you don’t want a lot of spice you could halve the crystalized ginger as well. 🙂
Hi Summer
I’mglad to see you back. How much flour do I add when I cut down the ground ginger. Also, do I cut down the crystallized ginger, if so by how much.
Thank you Jackie! I would add 2 tablespoons of flour for the ginger you cut and cut the crystallized ginger in half. 🙂
Hi Summer. Can I omit the crystallized ginger?
Absolutely! It will be just a tad less spicy. 🙂
Great! I was so happy to see a ginger cookie recipe that didn’t require rolling. I love ginger and these look fantastic! I will definitely try these with crystallized ginger…when I get my hands on it. Thank you for the recipe!
Hi Summer. I made the cookies and they were tasty– great flavour. Loved the ginger, cinnamon, clove combo. I thought it could have used a little less salt. However, mine didn’t turn out as nice as yours. They were drier and thicker. Maybe I need to add more butter or eggs? Btw, I weighed the ingredients. Help! 😛
I would increase the butter and add an egg if they came out dry. I will double check the recipe too. Feel free to reduce the salt to your taste!
so delicious !!!
I love it !!!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoy them!