Bon Appetit Ginger Cookies

These cookies come from Bon Appetit's site and are somewhat similar to the Crackly Topped Spice Cookies I made last week. The difference is that there's no cayenne pepper or nutmeg in them. Based on this, I was curious as to whether they could possibly be as good as the other cookies. After all, I do like my cookies spicy.

But, when all was said and done and cookies were baked, I was pleasantly surprised. These cookies still had a lot of delicious flavor in them. True, they weren't quite as spicy as the other cookies, but they were really very good. Unfortunately, I couldn't get my cookies to be thick, chewy, and puffy like I wanted. I've pretty much resigned myself to the fact that until I replace my oven, it'll be flat cookies all the way. But, at least they'll always be tasty either way.

If you're not the kind of person who likes a lot of heat in your cookies, then these would be a great alternative.

Woo-hoo. We're halfway through the quest!


Chewy Ginger Cookies (from Bon Appetit but adapted by A Catalogue Raisonne)

2 c. all-purpose flour
3 tsp. ginger powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
2 tsp. baking soda
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 c. crystallized ginger, minced (optional)
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
3/4 c. unsalted butter, room temperature
1 large egg
1/4 c. mild-flavored molasses

Combine first 6 ingredients and whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger if desired.

Beat brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix until just blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350F. Spoon sugar in thick layer on small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4" balls. Roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on baking sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.

Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 min. Cool on sheets 1 min. Carefully transfer to racks and cool.