Three-ginger cookies

**pacific breeze** · December 21st, 2006, 10:40 PM

Three-ginger cookies

From the ``Silver Palate Good Times Cookbook,'' by Julee Rosso, Sheila Lukins and Sarah Leah Chase.

INGREDIENTS:
-- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
-- 1 cup dark brown sugar
-- 1/4 cup molasses
-- 1 egg
-- 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
-- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
-- 2 teaspoons baking soda
-- 1/2 teaspoon salt
-- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
-- 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

INSTRUCTIONS: Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixer bowl. Beat in the molasses and then the egg.

Sift the flour, ground ginger, baking soda and salt together. Stir into the butter mixture with a wooden spoon until blended. Add the fresh and crystallized gingers -- saving some of the crystallized ginger --and stir until well mixed. Refrigerate the dough, covered, at least 2 hours or overnight. You could also form the dough into logs and slice them for a flatter cookie.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheets.

Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets. Place a piece of crystallized ginger in the centre of each cookie. Bake until browned, about 10 minutes.

Remove cookies to wire racks to cool completely. Yields 3 1/2 to 4 dozen cookies.

PER COOKIE: 70 calories, 1 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 3 g fat (2 g saturated), 12 mg cholesterol, 61 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.

**supermat** · December 22nd, 2006, 06:12 AM

Sorry , what is baking soda?

**Mariesoleil** · December 22nd, 2006, 07:18 AM

Bicarbonate de soude

**Zee** · December 22nd, 2006, 07:29 AM

Sodium bicarbonate. It's used as a leavening agent in baking.

PB Thanks for the recipe. I love ginger snaps and this sounds delicious.

**Algernon** · December 22nd, 2006, 10:41 AM

Holy cow, now THAT sounds like quite the ginger cookie!! I'll be looking for the ginger this weekend! Have you tried the recipe, PB? Do they turn out crunchy or soft?

**pacific breeze** · December 24th, 2006, 04:14 PM

I've made them both ways -- it kind of depends on how long you bake them. Bake them a couple minutes longer for crunchy, only 10 for chewy. I actually prefer them crunchy, so I leave them to cool a long time before placing them in a tin. If you want them chewy, just let them cool slightly, then place them in something airtight. I used to have another recipe that didn't call for the molasses, but I prefer the stronger flavour.

Algernon, I AM going to make the springerlies (sp?) one of these days!

**Mira** · December 24th, 2006, 11:42 PM

Wow! Thank you for posting this. I saved and printed this. I love ginger. I eat fresh ginger out of the jar, that's how much I love ginger. I will definitely be trying this recipe. Merry Christmas!

**Algernon** · December 24th, 2006, 11:44 PM

Lol, I didn't get around to making my springerles this year. Which most of the family teased me for...only a handful of us like them. You definitely have to be a lover of anise to appreciate them. I am going to try these ginger cookies for our new year's celebration.

Which reminds me...I am to make a ham for the first time ever, for our new year's. Every one is counting on me. I have a 20 pound bone in ham sitting in the fridge waiting. Haven't googled any recipes or cooking instructions yet. Any ideas, PB???

**pacific breeze** · December 25th, 2006, 02:28 AM

The ginger cookies are good, and very gingery. But everybody seems to like them.

For the ham, I suggest an old favourite. Paint the ham with brown sugar (just brush/put on with hands), then stud with whole cloves. Do about half of the ham. Then pour the juice from one can of pineapple over ham, and arrange slices around ham. Bake for about 50 minutes at 300 degrees. Baste 2 or 3 times.

Let sit for 15 minutes before serving. Slice.