Up first is a recipe I tried for the first today: David Lebovitz's Gingersnaps from Room for Dessert.
David Lebovitz is a bit of a legend in the Clark home. We've got two of his cookbooks -- Ready for Dessert and The Perfect Scoop (ice cream) -- that we lean on almost as much as any other cookbooks we own. The guy doesn't seem to miss, and his attention to detail for sugary confections has helped to significantly elevate and refine our own dessert game.
I'd never seen this particular recipe until recently, though, when a colleague from work shared it (not knowing how much we revere Lebovitz in this house). Though I would've made these cookies regardless, I was certainly intrigued by an ingredient list that includes black pepper and diced candied ginger.
These cookies turned out much thinner than I had expected, though tasting them reminded of Kramer's line from Seinfeld about his thinly sliced deli meats: The taste has nowhere to hide.
The black pepper gives these cookies a delightful little kick, though I'd hoped for more from the candied ginger (while the diced ginger is visibly noticeable in many of the cookies, I couldn't detect any notable flavor from it).
My chief regret with this first batch of these cookies is that I intentionally underbaked them. I like soft cookies, and that hack has worked well for me with a Martha Stewart molasses spice cookie recipe that will show up in this project sooner or later. But the underbaking didn't work as well here, and I think it's because the cookies are so thin.
So next, I'll be a bit more strict in following the recommended baking temperature and time.
Here's the recipe (my comments and observations in parentheses):
Gingersnaps
1/2 lb. (2 sticks) butter -- at room temperature
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
3 cups flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
Optional: 1/4 cup finely chopped candied ginger or candied lemon peel
Coarse sugar or granulated sugar
1. Beat together the butter and sugar. Make sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl to ensure the butter is completely incorporated. Stir in molasses and vanilla.
2. Stir in the eggs, one at a time, until thoroughly incorporated.
3. In a separate bowl, sift (or mix) together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and cloves.
4. Mix the dry ingredients into the creamed butter mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Mix in the optional candied ginger or candied peel. Chill dough thoroughly.
5. Divide the dough into four (I like to get precise with this by using a kitchen scale). On a lightly floured surface, with your hands roll each portion into a log about 8 inches long and 1 1/2 inches in diameter (they only measured 6 1/2 to 7 inches for me). Wrap the logs in plastic and refrigerate them until they're firm enough to slice. The dough can also be frozen at this point for up to 2 months.
6. When you're ready to bake, position the oven racks in the center and upper part of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees (I cooked this batch at 325 degrees).
7. Cut the chilled dough into round 1/2-inch thick slices. Dip one side of each slice in granulated sugar, and place the cookies, sugared sides up and about 3 inches apart, on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
8. Bake for about 10 minutes (I baked them at 9-10 minutes on the lower temp). For even baking, rotate the baking sheets and switch racks about midway through baking. When uniformly browned, take them out of the oven. Once they have cooled, store the cookies in an airtight container.
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