Ginger Cookies

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!
With the next Holiday just around the corner, it's time to get into the full baking mode..cookie time!
I thought I'd get myself into my full baking mode by going through all my Holiday related cookie recipes, and some just great cookie recipes, and begin sharing some with you.

This first recipe is adapted from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle. I found a wealth of cookie suggestions on this site and this is the one that I made today.
This cookie has wonderful flavors using warm spices, with fresh ginger, ground ginger and dark molasses. The addition of orange zest really comes through adding another layer of flavor. It's a soft cookie and the turbinado sugar it's rolled in gives it some crunch.
This is definitely a good addition to your Holiday cookie list for those who love spice cookies.

So to begin, first whisk the dry ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside for a minute.

Then in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar til creamy, about 2 minutes.

Then add the egg and mix til blended.

Add the molasses...

Fresh ginger and orange zest and mix til blended.

Reduce mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture til just incorporated. Don't overmix.

You can stir the remaining flour with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl.

Pour some turbinado sugar into a bowl ( or pour into a small baggie) and place each ball of dough into the sugar and roll it around, covering each ball with the sugar.

Then place balls 2" apart on parchment lined baking sheets.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. Mine took the full 12 minutes.

Ginger Cookies ( also called Ginger Quakes) ( adapted from "The Good Cookie" by Tish Boyle)


Makes 60 cookies

2 1/2 cups AP flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1 tbsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. cinnamon

3/4 cup ( 1 1/2 sticks or 12 tbsp.) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1 large egg, room temp.

1/3 cup dark molasses

2 tbsp. fresh ginger, finely minced ( I grated mine)

1 tsp. orange zest

Turbinado sugar for coating

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Preheat oven to 350. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

1. Whisk flour, baking soda, ground ginger and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Set aside.

2.In mixer, fitted with paddle attachment, beat the butter and brown sugar on medium-high speed til creamy, about 2 minutes.

3. Add the egg and mix til blended, scraping the bottom and sides of bowl.

4. Add the molasses, fresh ginger and orange zest and mix til blended.

5. Reduce speed to low and blend in flour mixture, mixing til just incorporated. Don't overmix.

6. Place the turbinado sugar in a small bowl or baggie and form dough into 1" balls, placing each ball into the sugar and coating well.

7. Place balls on baking sheet placing 2" apart.

8. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or til edges are set and tops are crackly but centers still soft.

Note: Because these cookies are dark it's hard to tell when the edges are set so I baked mine a little longer, 13 minutes. If you're unsure, bake one or two cookies first and let them cool enough so you can tell if they may need more baking time.