Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Double Ginger Crackles


Continuing my quest for holiday spirit, I turned to one of my favorite holiday spices - Ginger!  Somehow ginger seems to evoke a warm, happy place in my psyche and provides an essence of holiday.  After all, where would we be without the annual Gingerbread House?

The first year I discovered crystallized ginger I used perused my books for every recipe I could find using the ingredient.  We had cookies, biscotti, scones, an Asian Chicken dish (which wasn't very good...) and I even took to eating the little golden pieces out of hand.

My most recent ginger discovery was Ginger Beer at the Kona Brewing Company on Oahu.  A friend recommended the beer, making me think of another dear friend, Harry Potter.  I was a bit hesitant to try it, but we felt we needed to.  Spicy, with a familiar warm bite, the beer was excellent and required a second round.  Unfortunately you will have to go to Hawaii to try it as they only serve it seasonally at their restaurants, but it's almost worth a trip to the islands just for a an afternoon brew!

Double Ginger Cookies have been a favorite on our holiday cookie tray for a few years, and I find that they also make a lovely treat with my morning coffee or tea.  Filled with a decent helping of ground ginger in addition to my prized crystallized version, the cookies pack a nice, spicy punch.  Rolled in raw (C&H from Hawaii!!) sugar, they not only look beautiful, but will have a pleasant little crunch to go with the slightly soft cookie texture.




Double Ginger Crackles

10 oz. (2-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 Tbs molasses
3 Tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger
raw sugar for rolling
Heat oven to 350°F.  Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour some raw sugar into a shallow bowl.  Scooping about 1 Tbs of dough shape into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 min. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 min. and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers.

Ginger flavor intensifies with time, making these cookies excellent candidates for long keeping. When stored in an airtight container, the cookies remain impressively delicious for up to five days from baking. Well wrapped, the cookies will keep for several weeks in the freezer.

34 comments:

  1. I love ginger so I look forward to trying these. I'll have to go and visit Kona Brewing so that I can try their seasonal Ginger Beer. I also love their Gingerade which is available year round.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I love ginger cookies, I like this recipe, I tried another and it had too much. I will have to try this one. I could use one of these for breakfast in the a.m.
    -GIna-

    ReplyDelete
  3. I was searching my cookbooks and even a few online sites for spicy ginger cookies. :) I think that nice spicy punch is just what I am looking for. Thank goodness for YOU! Say, how's that recipe book coming along??? :) Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh how I LOVE ginger (obviously, haha). My absolute FAVORITE cookies in the world are ginger cookies. But I need to make your kind of ginger cookies, they look soooo delicious. I love the addition of crystallized ginger and the raw sugar on the outside.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Ooh! I didn't used to like ginger terribly much when I was younger but as I've gotten older, it's grown on me. Just tonight I made a ginger-cilantro cream sauce for my salmon tacos! Absolutely AMAZEBALLS. Your cookies, however, are absolutely spectacular, Kim! Almost too pretty to eat! I think I want to try my hand at crystallizing ginger since I have this HUGE knob left. After that I'll try your cookies out! Thanks for sharing, Kim!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I've never heard of crackles...more reason to give them a try!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh, these sound like heaven! It's so funny that you post this because I just bought a pouch of crystallized ginger the other day. I must must must make these.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This is the perfect time for ginger. ;) Beautiful cookies...and they look so tasty!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Kim, I've made a similar recipe...I just love ginger cookies and yours look perfect!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gingerbread and crystallized ginger? Yum! These cookies sound great!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for your sweet comment. These cookies look so perfect for the holidays! It's that time of year, for ginger and sugar. :)

    ReplyDelete
  12. I haven't had crystallized ginger yet but plan to buy it the next time I see it. Great recipe!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those pictures are so festive. The cookies look delicious.

    ReplyDelete
  14. You know Harry Potter too? He's my best bud. hehe. Your ginger cookies look fantabulous Kim. They appear a bit moist, chewy and crunchy around the edges, LOVES!

    ReplyDelete
  15. These look so warm and delicious. I love a good ginger cookie. Thanks for sharing :)

    ReplyDelete
  16. definitely a fan of ginger and you double ginger crackles!

    ReplyDelete
  17. LOVE these cookies! I'm planning to do all my baking this weekend, this recipe must make the list!

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love ginger too. I have made a martha stewart ginger molasses crisp recipe for years that has fresh, dried and candied ginger and they are almost too spicy lol. I will try these too

    ReplyDelete
  19. I have become obsessed with ginger, lately. I've been putting it in practically everything. These cookies look so good, I am glad that I can only see them on my computer screen. I would gobble them up if they were near me!

    ReplyDelete
  20. These cookies look divine. I have to get a new jar of molasses! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  21. What fabulous cookies Kim! I love ginger too, always gives me that warm and fuzzy feeling during the holidays! They are just gorgeous..thanks for sharing! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. I love crystalized ginger! It's like candy with a zing. Your cookies look amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Oh! Do these look great! I also love ginger. In fact, I made crystalized ginger last week and it is excellent! I will post the recipe/method on my blog soon! I'll make these cookies for sure and let you know what I think!

    ReplyDelete
  24. I discovered crysallized ginger a few years ago, and I love the stuff too! I am always finding an excuse to add it to my baked goods. SO delicious. I can't wait to make some ginger cookies. They are my favorite holiday treat! Thank you for sharing, my friend!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Wow these look good! I love ginger crackle cookies- yours look chewy and delicious! I'm totally intrigued by this ginger beer! I guess I'll have to make another trip to Hawaii just for the heck of it! hehe...

    ReplyDelete
  26. delicious festive presentation
    happy holidays

    ReplyDelete
  27. These look so delicious. I really want to try a ginger cookie. I think I'll start with these.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Yummm, i think i will give these cookies a go! They look wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Oh, we may have to have a competition to see who the biggest ginger fan is! I LOVE these cookies and might just have to make them today. I'm so excited that I found them. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  30. These cookies look beautiful and crystallized ginger is one of my favorites.

    ReplyDelete
  31. It's weird how we forget about ginger sometimes...up until the holidays season. Ginger warms up my heart. I should remember to use all year round. These cookies might be my next cookie adventure. Thanks for sharing this recipe

    ReplyDelete
  32. Ginger cookies are such a great Christmas treat:) These look so wonderful!

    ReplyDelete
  33. A good ginger cookie is a thing of beauty. These look delish.
    ~Loren

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make our hearts sing!