With less than 23 days before Christmas, I am not certain there will be enough time for me to share with you all of my favorite cookies, both the ones made year round as well as the ones made in December (I suppose I want you to have something to look forward to in the months ahead, just in case you fall off the eating healthy wagon!). So as not to over promise and under deliver, during the month ahead there were be more than one cookie or candy confection recipe posted to the blog (those of you with commitment issues are probably okay with this, the rest of you will probably consider this a tease).
I found a ginger cookie recipe in a Midwest Living magazine a very, very long time ago. Making a few changes, it has remained my favorite ginger molasses cookie. The inspiration for dipping them in white chocolate happened less than two years ago. What gives these cookies their wonderful spicy flavor are three spices: ground ginger, cinnamon, and ground cloves. Mixed in with the flour, baking soda and salt, the dry ingredients are set aside.
This is a cookie that uses shortening instead of butter. Yes, I am sharing with you a recipe that uses shortening, not butter (consider it an exception to the rule, an exception that just seems to work with this cookie). Rather than using 'light' molasses I have found that the 'dark' or 'robust' molasses adds both greater flavor and color to the cookie.The making of the cookie dough begins with lightly beating the shortening in a standing mixer (with a paddle attachment) or an electric mixer for about 30 seconds. The one cup of sugar is slowly added, the speed is increased to medium, and the mixture is beat until fluffy. The egg and molasses are added and mixed in until well blended.
The flour/spice mixture is added all at once. Reducing the speed on the mixer, the wet and dry ingredients are beat until well blended.
There are two options for rolling these cookies. The first option is dipping a 1 1/2 inch rolled ball into a bowl of water and then into a bowl of sugar. The second option is just dipping the 1 1/2 inch rolled ball into the bowl of sugar. The amount of sugar as well as the look of the cookie will be different depending on which rolling option you choose, but both cookies will have that beautiful crackled top.
If first rolled in water and then in the sugar, the cookies look like they are capped in snow. If rolled only in sugar, they have the sugar dusted look. My preference is the first water, then sugar rolling option as I love how these baked cookies look. The cookies are baked on a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until the bottoms of the cookies are lightly browned. Be careful not to over bake these cookies as they will lose some of their chewiness. If you slightly over bake them, they will still be delicious, but the texture will be a little firmer.
Once the baked cookies have cooled on a rack, they are dipped into the melted white chocolate. When dipping the cookies, try to make certain both the top and bottom of the cookie are covered in the white chocolate before you place the cookies on a sheet of parchment paper. The chocolate on these cookies does not take that long to set up. You can speed up the setting time by placing the cookies in a cooler place in your house. The finished cookies should be immediately placed into a tin or jar to ensure their freshness. Note: This recipe makes anywhere from 24 to 28 cookies when using a 1 1/2 inch ice cream scoop to form the cookie balls.
White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Molasses Cookies (more than a slight adaptation to Joe Carson's Ginger Cookie Recipe)
Ingredients
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon Saigon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
3/4 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling cookies (Note: For a more sparkling finish to the cookies, roll in a mixture of granulated sugar and white sugar crystals.)
2 Tablespoons dark molasses
1 large egg, room temperature
Water
8 to 10 ounces white chocolate (recommend Ghiradelli White Melting Wafers)
Update 12-14-15: For an even deeper ginger flavor to these cookies, add 1 Tablespoon of finely chopped crystalized ginger to the dry ingredients.
Directions
1. In a medium sized bowl, combine flour, baking soda, spices and salt. Set aside.
2. Beat shortening in a stand mixer (with paddle attachment) or electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Slowly add in one cup of granulated sugar and beat until fluffy.
3. Add the egg and molasses. Beat until combined.
4. Add flour mixture and mix on low speed until well combined.
5. Shape into 1 1/2 inch balls. Dip into a small bowl of water and then into the bowl of additional sugar. (If you want a lighter sugar coating, just roll cookie balls into the sugar.)
6. Arrange cookie balls at least three inches apart on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet .
7. Bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 12 to 15 minutes or until light brown on bottoms.
8. Transfer baked cookies to a cooling rack.
9. Melt white chocolate. Dip the cooled cookies into the chocolate so that half of the cookie is coated in chocolate.
10. Place dipped cookies on a piece of parchment paper and allow to set. When chocolate has set, store in a covered tin or container to keep fresh.
The holidays are such a great time to pay it forward, to engage in random acts of kindness, or to show your appreciation to those who made a difference to you. Not that we shouldn't do this all year long, but as the year comes to a close, we get a second chance to follow through on all of our good intentions (the ones we allowed our busy lives to get in the way of and distract us). As much as I love seeing someone open a gift or platter of cookies, I really do love the act of giving. There is something about sharing a part of yourself with either someone you care about or a total stranger, that for me, is what the holidays were meant to be. And the older and more reflective I get, I sometimes see things from perspectives different than my own.
For me differences are a good thing, they always have been. Professionally, I would have never grown if I did not take in all of the different perspectives of my peers along the way or the classmates in my doctoral program. Personally, I would like to think I am capable of continued growth (and yes, there are some things I think I shall always hold dear) and change (even if it means I need to be pushed). Have you ever asked yourself what great change in your life has not been accompanied by a little bit of fear? I can think of many times in my life when I felt more than a little bit of fear. The kind of fear that can temporarily paralyze you or make you say things you wish you hadn't. Although I can't take back those moments, I can (given the chance) try to make the moments going forward so much better. While it may not be as simple as delivering the proverbial olive branch in the form of a platter cookies, at least it might bring someone a moment of (cookie) bliss.
