Nov 20, 2007
Gingersnaps
Wafer thin with a perfect crunch, these cookies are delicious alone or alongside fresh apples or pears. This recipe was shared with us by pastry chef Claudia Fleming.
Credit: Quentin Bacon
INGREDIENTS
1 3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
1 tbsp. grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tbsp. ground ginger
3 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. ground white pepper
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
2 tbsp. turbinado (raw) sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Using an electric mixer, beat the sugar and butter until smooth. Add the egg, fresh ginger, and lemon zest and beat well.2. In a bowl, whisk together the flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, baking powder, white pepper, and cloves. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating until well combined. Form the dough into a large disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
3. Preheat the oven to 350°. Scoop out 1 tsp. of the dough at a time and roll it between the palms of your hands to form a ball. Place the balls on a cookie sheet and press down hard with the base of a drinking glass that has been dipped in flour (to prevent sticking) to form thin rounds. Sprinkle the tops of the cookies with turbinado sugar and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until crisp and browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Drag.
The only downside is that they are quite laborious to roll out 6 dozen worth of dough balls and press each one with the glass. I did it in stages throughout the day, keeping the dough in the fridge in between.
Also, I added a 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the dry ingredients. I found it odd the recipe didn't have any.