Spicy Ginger Cookies

At a recent holiday party, a friend offered me some ginger cookies she had made.  They were delicious — crisp yet also slightly chewy and more spicy than sweet.  I asked her for her recipe, which she sent me.

Each year, I make cookies for my friends as holiday gifts and decided this cookie would be perfect.  I made a few alterations to the recipe to make it slightly more healthy… and was impressed with the results.

Spicy Ginger Cookies
adapted from Stina’s Papparkakor Cookies

makes about 3 dozen

3/4 c organic sugar
2/3 c organic unsalted butter
1 egg
5 tbsp molasses
1 tsp vanilla
2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom (a bit more if you want extra kick)
3/4 tsp ginger
pinch salt
sugar for coating

Preheat the oven to 350. Cream together butter and sugar for about 2 minutes.  Add egg, molasses, and vanilla  and mix well.  Add in flour, baking soda, and spices and mix well.  Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Roll one tsp dough into a ball using your hand, then roll in granulated sugar (e.g., Sugar in the Raw).  Press down on cookie sheet with the bottom of a glass; since they spread out, do 3 to a row.  Bake for 8-10 minutes, quickly remove from cookie sheet with a spatula, and cool completely on a rack.

Gingernutsnap cookies

To christen my new Cuisinart, which was given to me for my birthday, I decided to try a recipe from the Angelica Kitchen cookbook. The restaurant is one of my favorite in the city and I especially love their desserts, which are always light, sweetened with care, and full of flavor. Since the holidays are coming up, I chose to make a version of their gingersnap cookies. The results is amazing: not the loveliest cookies I’ve ever made, but have a very complex, well-balanced flavor. They’re spicy and slightly sweet (made with maple syrup and molasses–both natural sweeteners) — a perfect accompaniment for a mug of chai tea or served with vanilla ice cream. The addition of ground nuts adds some protein and good fat, so they are more satisfying and filling.

Gingernutsnap Cookie
adapted from Angelica Home Kitchen

1 c rolled oats
1/2 c sliced almonds
1/2 c raw cashews (not salted), chopped coarsely
1 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 tsp powdered ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 + 1 tsp maple syrup
1/4 c molasses
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 c + 1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 325. On a flat sheet, toast oats and nuts for 10 minutes. Add nuts, oats, ginger, salt, and cinnamon into food processor and grind to a fine meal. Stir mixture into whole wheat flour. In a separate bowl, whisk maple syrup, molasses, and oil together. Stir into dry ingredients. Dough will be coarse (see picture below). Roll 1-in balls in your hand. Press onto cookie sheet, flattening. Bake 16 minutes, remove from sheet and cool completely.