Chewy, spicy, and just sweet enough, these extra-gingery molasses cookies can go three ways. The updated classic gets three kinds of ginger - fresh, candied, and powdered. Stir in chocolate chunks for a bittersweet variation. Or add some citrus love to the batter and rolling sugar for a fresh twist.
Prep Time: 15 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 12 minutesminutes
Total: 27 minutesminutes
Servings: 362" cookies
Ingredients
6ouncesunsalted butter, softened but cool(1 1/2 sticks)
1/3cupdark brown sugar
1/4cupgranulated sugar
1inchknob fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated
1egg yolk
1/2cupunsulphured blackstrap molasses(6 ounces by weight)
1/3cupcandied ginger, finely chopped
2 1/4cupsflour (11 1/4 ounces)
2teaspoonsground ginger
1teaspooncinnamon
1/4teaspoonallspice
1/2teaspoonsalt
1teaspoonbaking soda
1/3cupgranulated or turbinado sugar, for rolling the cookies
Instructions
Position a rack in the upper center of the oven and preheat to 375º. Line two or three rimless baking sheets with parchment paper.
Combine the butter, sugars and fresh ginger in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 - 4 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Beat in the egg yolk until combined, then the molasses and candied ginger.
In a medium bowl, whisk or sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, salt, and baking soda. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix on low speed until barely combined. Remove from the mixer and fold by hand a couple times, scraping the bottom of the bowl, to make sure the batter is well-combined.
Put the 1/3 cup sugar in a small bowl. Use a spring loaded ice cream scoop or a spoon to make 1" balls of dough. Roll each dough ball between your palms to round. Toss each ball in the sugar to coat, then place them on the parchment-lined sheet pans, spacing them at least 2 inches apart.
Bake the pans one at a time on the upper rack until the edges are set but the centers are still very soft, about 10-12 minutes. The cookies will seem under-baked, but will firm up as they cool. Cool completely and store in an airtight container for up to a few days.
Notes
Adapted from Baking Illustrated.Variations: For triple ginger chocolate chunk cookies, add 1 cup finely chopped bittersweet chocolate to the dough along with the flour. Place a chunk or disc atop each cookie before baking.For triple ginger citrus cookies, zest one orange into the batter along with the fresh ginger. Zest a second orange into the rolling sugar and rub with your fingers until the sugar is clumpy with orange oil.Get the recipe for the gluten-free version here. Nutritional values are based on one 2" cookie.