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

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.

Comments

  1. You did a great job.. no molasses.. makes for a nice light cookie..Royal Icing is almost inedible:)

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  2. Now that's my idea of the perfect decorated Christmas cookie! It looks like there is a very nice ginger flavor in this dough, not overpowering like most recipes. I much prefer buttercream over royal icing.

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  3. Ginger sugar cookies-awesome idea!! Yours turned out really cute and the best ones are the mistake ones you and your daughter got to eat right;) lol

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  4. I like the idea of ginger in the butter cookies, Kate. I know everyone uses royal icing, but I agree with you...butter cream does me just fine. Fun to eat the mistakes as you go along...we do it all the time!

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  5. I love the ginger twist on an old favourite Kate.

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  6. Kate, these are so beautiful and so festive. You are really putting me in a Christmas mood tonight! :-) I'm with you on the royal icing. It can be stunning but buttercream icing can't be beat for taste and texture. My daughter demands sugar cookies with buttercream icing every Christmas, no matter how many other types of cookies I have made.

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  7. I have sugar cookie dough and gingerbread dough in the refrigerator, maybe I should mix them together and have ginger sugar cookies. Your cookies are very pretty.

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  8. How pretty! Y'all did such a beautiful job decorating with the buttercream. I cannot even begin to count my disastrous royal icing attempts.

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  9. My son has always been a dunker. It's the only time he will drink a glass of milk. Your cookies are so pretty! I know I would love the hint of ginger in these. I've never tried making royal icing. The buttercream looks perfect to me.

    I love your stand as well!

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  10. How I wish I had the time to decorate cookies. I agree on buttercream frosting, too. It's my favorite. (Big longing sigh.) I'm a fan of ginger, too. Great job!

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  11. These are so colourful and adorable! What fun.

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  12. I love the idea of a ginger sugar cookie! It spices things up a little. And your decorating is really pretty!

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  13. Heh, I made strawberry muffins this week, that is about as close to Christmas baking as I get. That is unless my son and his girlfriend convince me otherwise!

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