Ginger Sugar Cookies

I tried a new type of cookie this week, a Ginger Sugar Cookie.  This time of year I want ginger...anything with ginger will do.  My memory of ginger is from I was a little girl.  I remember the first time I tasted ginger cookie.  It was chewy and moist.  My mom makes the best!  I also remember coming home from school and having ginger snaps and a glass of milk.  I loved dipping the cookie into the milk to soften it...I remember disappointment when I dipped it too long and the piece fell off making a mess and sinking to the bottom of my glass.  I didn't like that much so I became a master at cookie dunking!

Today, though, I was looking for something else.  I wasn't certain what but it had to be a cookie and it had to have ginger!  I saw a recipe on Heather Christo's blog.  Heather is a chef who "hung up her chef coat for motherhood."  She includes a recipe for Ginger Sugar Cookies on her site.  I wanted to put a twist on the sugar cookie and so this appealed to me.  I made the cookies as listed on her blog.

Ginger Sugar Cookies

Heather Christo

Yield: 2 dozen
Preheat oven:  325°

2 sticks unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
3/4 cup powdered sugar
2 egg yolks
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven.
Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpats.
Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and salt, and whip until creamy.
Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Add the yolks and mix to combine.
Add the flour, ginger and cinnamon until just barely combined (over mixing will make them tough).
Separate the dough and wrap it in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate until the dough is firm and chilled enough to handle, about 1 hour.

Roll the dough out with powdered sugar so the dough doesn't toughen from additional flour.
Cut shapes with cookie cutters and place them on the covered cookie sheets.  Bake for 2-12 minutes.

They should remain very pale and should NOT turn golden brown.  If they start to color around the edges, remove from oven immediately.  You are looking for them to be firm to the touch.  They will continue to firm up as they cool.  Leave them on the pan until just about cool..they will be less likely to break.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

The cookies have a very subtle ginger flavor....make way for the frosting....I tried the Royal Icing.  Never having done it before, it ended up going down the drain.  I had the frosting too stiff...I used almond extract...it was "yucky" to use a child's description.  Make way for buttercream frosting...the stand-by! My daughter and I spent part of the afternoon playing in the frosting.  It was fun...the cookies, are however, very fragile.  We ate quite a few of our disasters!

With the buttercream the cookies had the sweetness that we were craving.  Subtle ginger combined with sweet frosting...worked.