If
there was a list of America's favorite cookies, then gingersnaps would
surely be on it. This
highly addictive, sugar coated cookie gets its chewy texture and spicy
flavor from adding brown sugar, molasses, and spices (cinnamon,
ginger and cloves) to the batter. There are differences of
opinion as to how 'spicy' a gingersnap should be and for that very reason I
will tell you how to adjust the batter to suit your own individual
taste.
First, make sure to periodically check your ground spices
to see if they are still fresh, as stale spices will definitely make your
gingersnaps 'flat' tasting. With that being said, one way to increase
spiciness is to add, along with the other spices, a 1/4 teaspoon of white or black ground
pepper or a 1/4 cup of diced crystallized ginger (which you can buy in
small tins at specialty food stores or in bulk form from the health food
store). Another idea is to add a little more
molasses to the batter or use 'dark' molasses instead of 'light'. There are two types of molasses generally used in baking; light and dark.
While I have used light molasses in this recipe, as I mentioned above,
if you want a cookie with a more robust flavor, try using the dark molasses.
Light molasses comes from the first boiling of the sugar syrup and is
lighter in flavor and color than the dark molasses which comes from the
second boiling. Molasses is usually labeled as "sulphured"
or "unsulphured" depending on whether sulphur was used in the processing. I prefer the unsulphured molasses which is lighter in color and tends to have a nicer
flavor. By the way, molasses is used in baked goods, not only for
flavor, but also for color and moistness.
Tip: Lightly grease, or spray
with Pam, your measuring cup before pouring in the molasses. This
prevents the molasses from sticking to the cup.
In the bowl of
your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugars until
light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the molasses, egg,
and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. In a separate bowl
whisk together the
flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add to the butter mixture and mix
until well combined. Cover and chill the batter for about 30 minutes.
Preheat the
oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with
parchment paper.
Place about
1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. When
the dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.54 cm) balls. Then
roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on
the baking sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with the bottom of a glass,
flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for about 12 - 15 minutes or until the
cookies feel dry and firm on top. (The longer the cookies bake, the more
crisp they will be.) Cool on a wire rack.
Makes about 4 dozen cookies.
Sources:
Lebovitz. David. 'Room for
Dessert'. Harper Collins Publishers. New York: 1999.
Yard, Sherry. 'The Secrets of
Baking'. Houghton Mifflin Company. New York: 2003.
Gingersnaps:
3/4 cup (170 grams) unsalted
butter, room temperature
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