Try this Ginger Cookies recipe
- Carbohydrate 311.872914190891 g
- Cholesterol 593.800000154715 mg
- Fat 186.937160763774 g
- Fiber 1.02425831171185 g
- Protein 5.42570711624607 g
- Saturated Fat 117.555825396013 g
- Serving Size 1 1 dozen cookie (581g)
- Sodium 1389.7972825094 mg
- Sugar 310.848655879179 g
- Trans Fat 13.3742982092607 g
- Calories 2882 calories
Step-by-step
- In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip together butter, light-brown sugar and orange zest on medium-high speed until mixture is pale and fluffy about 3-4 minutes.
- Add in egg and mix until well blended.
- Mix in molasses and vanilla extract.
- With mixer set on low speed, slowly add in dry ingredients and mix just until combine.
- Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
- Pour turbinado sugar into a small bowl.
- Scoop dough out 2 Tbsp at a time and roll into balls then roll top half of each ball into turbinado sugar.
- Place dough balls with sugar coated side upright onto plates, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 - 40 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees during the last 10 minutes of chilling.
- Transfer dough balls to Silpat or parchment lined cookie sheets, with sugar coated side upright and spacing them 2 inches apart.
- Flatten tops of cookies.
- Bake in preheated oven 11 - 13 minutes.
- Allow to cool on cookie sheet for 2 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store cookies in an airtight container.
Warm-spiced cookie dough spreads uncontrollably in a hot oven unless the butter fat solidifies fully before baking. Chilling raw dough for 30 minutes solidifies the fat matrix, preventing the rounds from collapsing into a flat puddle on the parchment paper. Standard recipes often skip secondary resting periods, but chilling the shaped dough balls for an additional 30 to 40 minutes after rolling in turbinado sugar ensures the exterior crust retains its distinct crackled texture during baking.
Freezing unbaked dough portions offers a reliable make-ahead strategy for holiday baking marathons. Form the dough into 2-tablespoon spheres, freeze them completely on a sheet pan, and transfer the frozen balls to a sealed freezer bag where they keep for up to three months. Add two extra minutes to the standard 11 to 13 baking time window when baking straight from the freezer at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, bypassing the need to thaw.
Ground spices dominate traditional formulations because dried ginger provides a concentrated, pungent heat that fresh grated rhizome cannot replicate without altering the moisture balance of the dough. Fresh ginger introduces excess water and fibrous strands, which disrupts the tender crumb established by the 2 1/4 cups of flour. Stick to ground ginger for structural reliability, reserving fresh ginger only for applications where moisture addition is calculated into the formula.
