Gingersnaps are a traditional cookie for the holiday season, and these Sultry Gingersnaps for Leonard offer all I dream about: a molasses-dark chewy centre surrounded by crispness and the crunch and bling that comes from rolling them in cane sugar before baking. And yes, in case you’re wondering, Leonard is the one and only Leonard Cohen, whose words and music have meant so much to me since the age of eighteen. I first published this post after seeing his concert in London, Ontario on December 12, 2012. Sadly, he died in November 2016, and I’ve left the post written in the present tense as a tribute to him.
Sultry Gingersnaps in Homage to Leonard Cohen
I spent this evening in the warm embrace of Leonard Cohen. By which I mean I was among hundreds of other people at his concert in London, Ontario. I don’t suppose he really noticed me, but all the same, it felt like he was singing just for me.
I think Leonard would like these ginger snaps. They’re sultry cookies … a little spicy, a little mellow with a soft centre and a crisply textured edge, presented with a touch of flair. A perfect nibble when listening to the man himself.
My Gingersnap Dreams
These cookies are everything I dream about in a gingersnap: a molasses-dark chewy centre surrounded by crispness and the crunch and bling that comes from rolling them in cane sugar before baking. Like Leonard, mesmerizingly classy with a frisson of sexiness (pardon me, but I’ve got my crush on).
I think Leonard would approve. One taste of these and he just might be crooning “I’m Your Man” for me.
This recipe delivers everything I dream about in a gingersnap: a molasses-dark chewy centre surrounded by crispness and the crunch and bling that comes from rolling them in cane sugar before baking. You can make these cookies ahead and freeze them unbaked for warm gingery goodness whenever the craving strikes.
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 cup fancy molasses
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1-1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 2-1/4 cups flour
- cane sugar for rolling
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Cream the butter and sugar, then beat in the egg and molasses. Mix all the dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add to the butter mixture. Beat slowly until just incorporated.
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Cover and chill the dough for 30 minutes to one hour.
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While the oven is preheating to 350° F, roll the dough into 1″ balls and then roll them in cane sugar to lightly coat. (My one tablespoon ice cream scoop is the perfect size for this.)
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Place on cookie trays lined with parchment or a silicone baking mat, and bake for 8–10 minutes or until the top cracks. Leave on the tray for one to two minutes before putting on a rack to cool.
Baking time reality: I try to bring a relaxed and realistic approach to my time estimates — baking is not a race! The 50 minutes of baking time assumes you’ll be baking 12 cookies at a time. If you have the trays to accommodate more in your oven at once, obviously you can reduce the total time. I’ve also incorporated shaping the first batch of dough balls and rolling them in sugar into the prep time (figuring that while the first tray is in the oven, you’ll use the baking time to shape and roll the dough for the next batch). I try to be efficient in the kitchen while enjoying the process.
Make-ahead tip: Once the dough balls have been rolled in the sugar, you can freeze them on a baking sheet and then transfer to a freezer bag. When you want warm cookies, place them on the baking sheet while the oven heats and bake as per the instructions above. When I first wrote this post, I had about six dozen in my freezer, ready to be baked for my upcoming Christmas open house. If Leonard had rung the doorbell, I’d have been ready! See more about my make-ahead and freezing method.
Looking to Stack Up Some More Cookies?
Who doesn’t love making cookies? Here are a few — each exceptional in their own way — that you may like to have on rotation: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Keto Peanut Butter Chocolate Cookies, and Dark Chocolate Sour Cherry Cookies.
First Published 2012 12 12
Republished 2021 12 09
How did you get them to sparkle so beautifully. I especially like the one that had a bite taken out of it….that was me!!! Yummy as always…
I took the photos in my light box and was delighted with the results. Plus, the cane sugar crystals are larger and more defined than regular granulated, so that helped too. The balls of raw dough with the sugar pressed into them are almost too pretty to bake! I’ve been keeping some in the freezer, so that when we’d like a warm cookie I can just throw a few into the oven. I should have taken a few of these to the concert for Leonard, but something tells me I wouldn’t have gotten near him!
This is a keeper recipe!!! Love stopping by and smelling
the cookies…
I have always loved ginger snaps! And your photo is gorgeous. I love how you got the sugar to show up.
I’m discovering there are a lot of ginger snap lovers out there! I was very pleased with how the sparkly sugar photos turned out; glad you liked them!
I can see just how sweet you are on Leonard!
I’d like to try these, but might I ask what fancy molasses is?
Fancy molasses is the highest grade of molasses. I’ve found a few sites explaining the difference, including this one:http://verygoodfood.ca/category/the-foodie-file/
I just got some molasses education myself! Hope you enjoy the cookies when you try them.
Thanks for the info!
I have to laugh, Mar. I went back to last year’s recipe and learned that my reaction to this recipe is EXACTLY like the reaction I had to last year’s. Thank goodness it makes 5 dozen because I could eat a dozen and no one would be the wiser.
Say what you will, at least I’m consistent! And knowing that these will stay chewy means that I might eat 2 dozen. Still, who’ll know? 🙂
Glad to hear you’re consistent in the ginger snap crush department! They are good, aren’t they. You’re one of the few people who saw last year’s recipe when I published it; I wasn’t getting too many readers back then!
I have to warn you, these cookies are addictive. I’d like one right now, but I guess I’d better eat my dinner first 😊
I am sure Leonard would approve of these ginger snaps. We of course are trying to reach through the screen. Lovely photos!
You’ll have to make some of these so they’re within your grasp! Glad you liked the photos.
These cookies look great and I’m sure Leonard would love them as well as their maker! 😉
Well, the cookies at least!
Those dough balls alone look fantastic!
I played snooker with Leonard Cohen at the Chelsea Arts Club back in the 80’s – he’s quite a warm guy in spite of some his lyrics 😉
What a great story, thanks for sharing it!
They look so pretty Mum! The balls of dough look like they could be ornaments 🙂
Hmm, maybe we could hang some from the tree? Or better yet, bake some and eat them while we’re admiring the tree.😊
These look great! Gingersnaps are always a big favorite in our house! 🙂
Kenley
From the response I’m getting to this post, it seems that ginger snaps are extremely popular!
I was going to say that I took a bite out of that cookie too! They are just the thing for special occasions 🙂
I guess I have to confess now: it was I who took the big bite out of that cookie, but I did it in the name of photographic styling 😳
Absolutely gorgeous!!
That’s so nice to hear, Judy!
[…] Ginger Snaps […]
Sadly, I was unable to attend your open house, but was
thrilled that Ron came home with some for me! They are
fantastic!!
Next best thing to being there!
[…] Which post do you wish received more love and why? Oh, there are many of those, but the first thing that comes to mind is A Sultry Cookie for Leonard. […]
Lovely photos. I loved a good ginger cookie and these look tempting. Tell me about your lightbox use for photography.
I love to take my food photos outside, but that’s difficult in those months where it gets dark so early. I bought a lightbox last fall. It’s really improved the quality of my indoor photos, but it does have limitations. For instance, I can’t photograph a regular-sized dinner plate in it, so I present my food on small dishes (otherwise, the side seams show in the photos). It took me a while to get used to it, and I find it adds a bit of a ‘magazine’ feel to some of my photos. I’d like to try creating a larger ‘set’ with lights and reflectors, like we were taught at the conference, but I’m not sure when I’ll get to that!
[…] Gingersnaps […]
[…] have seconds). Holiday treats don’t need to be highly decorated to be festive, as proved by these sparkly ginger snaps that you can freeze in large batches ahead of time. They might even lure Leonard Cohen to your […]
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[…] treats don’t need to be highly decorated to be festive, as proved by these sultry, sparkly gingersnaps that you can freeze in large batches ahead of time. They might even lure Leonard Cohen to your […]
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[…] Sultry Gingersnaps for Leonard — I first published this recipe in homage to Leonard Cohen; I’ll continue think of him every time I make these cookies now that he’s gone […]
[…] Sultry Gingersnaps for Leonard […]
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