Michael’s Molasses Ginger Snaps

One of my high school friends asked for a ginger snap recipe, so I thought I would name this recipe in his honor.  After reviewing several dozen recipes, I picked the best ingredients from each of them and came up with this special cookie, just for him.  You can bake these cookies to suit your taste, from chewy to a crispy snap all the way through. Try these with just a “schmear” of soft cream cheese and a touch of orange marmalade if you want to be really naughty.  Wash them down with a tall glass of milk or a cup of hot tea.

Prep Time: 40 min      Cook Time: 15 min       Makes about 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients

Dry Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon Chinese Five Spice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (1/4 teaspoon table salt)

Wet Ingredients

1 cup dark brown sugar

2/3 cup (1 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg, room temperature

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger

2 Tablespoons candied ginger, very finely chopped

Other Ingredients

1 cup regular sugar to roll cookies in after shaping.

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Whisk dry ingredients  -  flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, clove and salt together in a medium mixing bowl.

Cream wet ingredients  -  Use a stand mixer on low speed with the paddle attachment to cream the brown sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the molasses, egg, vanilla and fresh ginger and beat on medium for about 1 minute. Then, add the very finely chopped crystallized ginger and beat on medium for about 1 minute to combine.  Finally, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until well combined.  The dough should be pretty stiff.

Lightly grease a cookie sheet with a little butter or margarine.  Using the palms of your hand, fashion dough into 1 inch balls.  Roll each ball in a small dish filled with regular sugar.  Place on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart.  Put cookie sheet on the middle rack in the pre-heated oven.

Bake time ranges from 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the crunch you want your cookie to have. Bake for 12 minutes to get soft cookies, 13 minutes produces a crisp outside and soft inside or 15 minutes if you want a hard, crispy snap all the way through your cookies.  

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up 10 days, if they last that long.

NOTE:  If you like to bake fresh cookies often or just a few at a time, drop the cookie dough on a cookie sheet and freeze them.  Once they are frozen you can place them in an airtight container or a resealable bag and store them in the freezer.  When you are ready to bake them, just take them directly from the freezer to the preheated oven and bake as above.