Sultry Gingersnaps for Leonard
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.
Ingredients
- 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
How To Make This Recipe
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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.
Recipe Notes
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.