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Classic No-Fail Gingersnaps

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barely adapted from Smitten Kitchen, in turn adapted from The Sweet Melissa Baking Book and Cook’s Illustrated.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp all-purpose flour (or 1/2 cup all-purpose and 1/2 cup bread flour, for some extra chewiness)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 2 tsp ground ginger (or more, if you’d like a stronger ginger flavor)
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/8 tsp cloves
  • 1/8 tsp ground white pepper
  • 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp unsulphured molasses

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars together until well-blended and fluffy. Add the molasses and whisk again until smooth. Add the flour mixture to the molasses mixture and mix gently until a dough forms.
  2. Turn the dough out onto saran wrap and fully wrap it. I patted the dough into a flat disk so that it would be easier to cut and shape into individual cookies later. I think a square would have worked even better. Chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours.
  3. When you’re ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place at least two inches apart on parchment paper or greased foil. The cookies will spread, so give them room. For chewier cookies, bake for 10-12 minutes. For crisper, bake longer, about 13-15. I took mine out at 12 exactly and they had a bit of chew in the middle, with very crunchy edges.

Notes

I used bread flour because I had a bit to get rid of, and it worked perfectly, adding a bit of welcome chewiness. The recipe is easily halved for one dozen cookies, and easily doubled if you want to make a lot for gifts. If you double the recipe, you can add an egg if you like. Cookies will bake slightly faster, but otherwise there is no difference.

If you’d like even more of a ginger kick, you can add one or two teaspoons of fresh finely grated ginger or grated candied ginger.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2013/12/09/classic-no-fail-gingersnaps/