Make Ahead

(Not Your Mother's) Savory Gingersnaps

April  8, 2011
0
0 Ratings
  • Makes 2-3 dozen, depending on size
Author Notes

My daughter's all-time favorite cookie has always been gingersnaps; she took my recipe off to college with her, along with a KitchenAid mixer. Yesterday she turned 22, and I decided it was time to grow my recipe up. I also needed something to take to a friend's for an afternoon sitdown with a bottle of wine on a snowy (!) April day.

On the way I stopped and got an assortment of cheeses and some sopressata. We opened a bottle of rustic red, made little "sandwiches" out of the cookies, and for a while weren't bothered by this seemingly endless winter.

Obviously, they pair nicely with wine, red or white. Also with kechin's Apple Ginger Hot Toddy (http://www.food52.com/recipes...) or with hardlikearmour's G.O.P Up in Flames (http://www.food52.com/recipes...). —boulangere

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 6 ounces unsalted butter, room temp
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 large eggs, room temp
  • 2 ounces molasses
  • 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea or kosher salt
  • A few grinds of black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon finely minced fresh ginger
  • 2 teaspoons finely minced fresh rosemary
  • Sea or kosher salt to finish
Directions
  1. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together butter and sugar until very pale and fluffy.
  2. If eggs are not room temp, soak them for 5 minutes in warm (not hot!) water, then proceed. This will help ensure that your emulsion comes together well. Crack them into a bowl. With mixer running on low speed, add eggs one at a time, allowing each to be fully incorporated before adding the next. When done, stop mixer and scrape completely around sides and bottom of bowl. Mix once again for a few seconds. Add molasses and mix to blend.
  3. Sift dry ingredients onto a sheet of parchment. Tip into mixer bowl all at once. Mix on low speed until no streaks of dry are visible. Stop mixer and scrape completely around sides and bottom of bowl. Add ginger and rosemary and mix to blend.
  4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment. Feel free to reuse the one you used to hold the sifted dry ingredients.
  5. Use an ice cream scoop of whatever size you desire, though small is better than large. Scoop cookies onto baking sheets, leaving 2 inches between them - they will spread. Dampen a kitchen towel and fold it up. Press the bottom of a glass against it, then lightly dip into a shallow bowl of sea or kosher salt. Press glass on top of a cookie to slightly flatten it. Repeat with all cookies.
  6. Bake 8-10 minutes, until nicely browned, rotating halfway through. When done, remove to a rack to cool a bit. They are very good served warm!

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • wssmom
    wssmom

2 Reviews

boulangere May 14, 2011
We served them at a wine & food festival last night with horseradish hummus. Had a little trouble convincing people to try the pair, but once they did, well, they told 2 friends, and they told 2 friends. Lots of fun. Great with cocktails.
 
wssmom May 14, 2011
These sound good. Real good.