Wonderful Ginger Cookie Recipe

I have never been a fan of the ginger snap, but I do love a good chewy ginger cookie. To me, the snap is like a well-done steak, with all the life cooked out of it. This weekend I found a great recipe, producing a chewy, full-flavored ginger cookie. If you like ginger, you won’t be disappointed.

Ginger Cookies

1 cup of turbinado sugar, divided [also called ‘sugar in the raw’]
1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed [I used dark brown]
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, at room temp
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine, at room temp [I used Earth Balance]
1 egg
1/3 cup of molasses
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups of flour
2 tablespoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt

With an electric or stand mixer, cream 1/2 cup of the turbinado sugar, brown sugar, butter, and margarine until light and fluffy. Add the egg and continue beating to blend well. Add the molasses and vanilla.

Sift the dry ingredients three times, then stir into the butter mixture half cup at a time. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes [I chilled for 3 hours].

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper and grease lightly (or use a silicone baking mat). [Remember to return the unused dough back to the fridge if using one sheet at a time.]

Place the remaining turbinado sugar in a shallow dish. Roll tablespoonfuls of the cold dough into balls and then lightly coat in the sugar.

Place the balls 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet. Bake until golden around the edges but soft in the middle, 12-15 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before transferring to a rack to cool.

[The italicized comments above are mine.]

H/t to Beyond Picket Fences for the recipe and bottom photo (which looks much better than my version at top), and to the Austin Food Blogger Alliance’s new cookbook containing said recipe – both are highly recommended.