This recipe had tons of reviews on the Food Network website and many bloggers have raved about it as well. So, I just had to see what everyone was talking about and decided to try Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies.
There are several things that set this recipe apart. One is that they are made with oil instead of butter. Secondly, they have very little ginger powder in them. However, they do have a lot of ground cloves. I wondered how all this would affect the taste.
As you can see, the cookies came out beautifully. They have that classic crackled look on the top and they were also thick and chewy, just how I want my ginger cookies to be.
Tastewise, however, they were simply "meh." I couldn't detect any ginger flavor in them, which is not surprising since I mentioned that the amount of ginger powder is clearly outnumbered by the other spices. I could detect the flavor of the cloves which was a bit off-putting. Plus, I think you really do need the flavor that can only come from butter.
No offense to anyone who has tried this recipe and liked it. But, as for my family and I, the search still goes on.
By the way, today will be a double posting day. Look out for Ginger Cookie #9 later this afternoon.
Ina Garten's Ultimate Ginger Cookies (by Ina Garten)
2 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ginger powder
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 c. dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 c. vegetable oil
1/3 c. unsulfured molasses
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 c. chopped crystallized ginger (I left this out)
sugar for rolling
Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt and then combine the mixture with your hands. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes. Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 1 minute. Scrape the bowl with a rubber spatula and beat for 1 more minute. With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined.
Scoop the dough with 2 spoons or a small ice cream scoop. With your hands, roll each cookie into a 1 3/4-inch ball and then flatten them lightly with your fingers. Press both sides of each cookie in granulated sugar and place them on the sheet pans. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.
Yeah, I'd up the ginger by a lot and cut down on the cloves. They look great, though!
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DeleteThat’s exactly what I did! I only used half a teaspoon of clothes and I used a heaping teaspoon of powdered ginger. I also only cook them for 11 1/2 minutes. And when they were cool I dipped half the cookie in white chocolate. It was sensational.
I've found that out about a lot of Food Network recipes-- just kind of meh
ReplyDeleteHmm, those do look good. I would just try them again, but change the spices if they have the right texture.
ReplyDeleteIf I don't make it back, Lisa, Merry Christmas to you and your family!
I have made these cookies many, many times with this recipe with many many raves!!! My only change is I add a little extra crystallized ginger and OMG they are still the best I have come across!
ReplyDeleteI see you left out the crystallized ginger in your receipe above no doubt they were meh!
Lee in Anna, TX
Most of the ginger flavor in these cookies comes from the very large amount of crystallized ginger in the recipe (1 1/4 cups!), which you left out. No wonder they didn't taste gingery! They have a very strong ginger flavor when the crystallized ginger is included, plus it makes them even chewier. They're delicious.
ReplyDeletegrin--well you can't really complain about the lack of ginger flavor when you actually leave out all the ginger! These are great, and people actually complain about the ginger being over-powering if you add it all in.
ReplyDeleteI chopped up the ginger really fine when I made these which made the ginger flavor much stronger. My 5 mins of chopping the little crystals definitely paid off!
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