Triple Ginger Cookies

Today's ginger cookie of choice comes from Emily Luchetti's book, "The Fearless Baker." The one thing that sets her cookie recipe apart from all others is that they are flavored with ginger, ginger, and only ginger. Well, I was looking for the ideal "ginger" cookie, wasn't I? I just had to see how a pure, unadulterated ginger cookie would stack up to all the others with their combos of spices.

And the verdict? They were wonderfully chewy and soft, which I liked. As for how flat they are, well, my oven flattens everything so I'm sure you could get much thicker cookies than I. But, as for the taste (cause that's what really matters), I think all those years of eating ginger cookies made with ginger and other spices has made my tastebuds biased. In comparison to the other cookies I've tried so far, this one was really mild.

I was rather surprised, especially since the recipe uses a whole tablespoonful of fresh ginger. Shouldn't that have given it some major kick? Well, I did a little research to find the answer.
According to Wikipedia, the ratio of fresh ginger to dried ginger (aka ginger powder), when substituted for one another, is 6:1. So, in essence, the amount of fresh ginger I used would only equal an extra 1/2 teaspoonful of ginger powder. There's my answer. That small amount added to the ginger powder (4 1/2 teaspoons total) in a recipe this large would certainly not give me the spicy punch I was looking for.

However, that does not mean that only dried spices will do for the ideal ginger cookie. I still have some other recipes to try that use fresh ginger and I'm eager to see how the hypothesis plays out. Who knew I could learn so much from a ginger cookie?

Triple Ginger Cookies (from "The Fearless Baker" by Emily Luchetti)

1 Tbsp. fresh grated ginger
14 Tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
1 1/4 c. sugar
1 large egg
1/4 c. molasses
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. finely chopped candied ginger
4 tsp. ginger powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, and salt. Stir in the candied ginger.

Beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add the egg. Beat in the molasses and grated fresh ginger. Add the flour mixture and mix until everything is combined.

Place a rounded tablespoonful of dough, spaced a few inches apart on the cookie sheet. You may want to rotate the cookie sheets halfway through to make sure the cookies bake evenly. Bake for about 14 min. until browned. Wait until they cool for a few minutes on the cookie sheet then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling.