I know why Santa Claus is fat. It’s because he can’t stop eating ginger snaps. I LOVE this recipe. I didn’t want to go all out and make gingerbread, but I did crave something with ginger. It was the first time I made ginger snaps, and this recipe left me wondering why. They are so easy and virtually fool-proof. The cookies already looked like they would taste good when they were just butter and light brown sugar. They have little cardamom in them, which give them an extra kick of spice to offset the sugar which I love. They turn a dark brown colour, and are hard on the outside but chewy on the inside – even the next day. Which is just the way I like them. Sorry Santa, I ate all your cookies this year.
Level of Difficulty: 2/5
Preparation Time: about 2 hours (there is 70 minutes cooling included)
Cooking Time: about 11-12 minutes
Makes about 35-40 small cookies
ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp ground cardamom (cardamom is quite spicy and strong so even 1/8 tsp adds flavour, but add 1/4 tsp for obvious flavour)
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup organic unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
1/4 cup diced candied ginger
granulated sugar to roll the cookies in
recipe
1. In a bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and spices (cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon).
2. With a mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until the mixture is light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add the egg and molasses and continue to mix until incorporated.
4. Stir in the dry ingredients with a spatula until incorporated. Do not overmix.
5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and place the bowl & batter in the fridge for 70 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 176C.
7. Shape into 1 inch balls and roll in granulated sugar and place on baking paper on a baking sheet. Bake for about 11 minutes (this will ensure that the outside of the cookie is hard, but the inside is slightly chewy). If you want more of a “snappy” texture, bake for about 13-15 minutes.
