Snappy Ginger Cookies
After an acting career spanning thirty years, Matthew Locricchio used his love of cooking to inspire young cooks to be confident in the kitchen. He was the author of numerous books, including a series of international cookbooks for children.
- Servings Makes 36 cookies
Ingredients
Cookies
- 240 grams (2 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling the dough
- 7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) baking soda
- 5 ml (1 teaspoon) ground ginger
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) ground cardamom
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoonj) ground cloves
- 2.5 ml (½ teaspoon) salt
- 7.6 cm (3-inch) piece fresh ginger
- 79 ml (⅓ cup) candied (crystallized) ginger
- 113 grams (½ cup/1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 198 grams (237 ml/1 cup) granulated sugar
- 59 ml (¼ cup) molasses
- 59 ml (¼ cup) Ginger Syrup (recipe follows)
- 1 large egg
Ginger Syrup
- 5-7.6 cm (2 to 3-inch) piece fresh ginger
- 473 ml (2 cups) water
- 118 ml (½ cup) firmly packed raw (turbinado) or light brown sugar
- 7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) dark molasses
- 7.5 ml (1½ teaspoons) pure vanilla extract
Preparation
Cookies
On your mark…
- Whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cardamom, cloves, and salt in a
medium mixing bowl. - Peel and finely chop the fresh ginger and set aside.
- Finely chop the crystallized ginger and set aside.
Get set…
- Combine the butter and 118 ml (½ cup) of the sugar in a medium bowl. With an electric-hand
mixer, beat for 2 minutes on medium speed until smooth. - Add the molasses, ginger syrup, egg, and fresh ginger. Beat for 1 minute. Using a rubber
spatula, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Beat for 1 minute. - Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Beat on medium-speed until smooth and
all the flour has been absorbed. - Fold in the crystallized ginger.
- Add another 59 ml (¼ cup) of the sugar and beat on medium-speed for 30 seconds or until the
mixture is smooth. - Cover the bowl with wax paper, or plastic wrap, and chill the dough for at least 1 hour or
overnight. - Line two 25 cm by 38 cm (10 ½ by 15 ½ inch) baking sheet with parchment paper. You will bake the
cookies in batches. - Place the remaining 59 ml (¼ cup) of sugar in a small bowl.
Cook!
- Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375˚F) with a rack in the middle of the oven.
- Remove one half of the cookie dough from the refrigerator. Keep the other half of the
dough chilling until you’re ready to use it. - Scoop up about 5 ml (1 teaspoon) of the cookie dough with your lightly floured hands and roll it
into a ball. - Drop the ball into the bowl of granulated sugar and shake to coat it.
- Place on the cookie sheet.
- Repeat this step, spacing the cookies about 5 cm (2-inches) apart. Once the cookie sheet is full,
lightly flatten each ball with the bottom of a small glass. If the dough sticks to it, dip the
bottom of the glass in the bowl of sugar before pressing down on the cookies. - Bake the cookies on the middle rack until the cookies are lightly
browned, 15 to 18 minutes. - Cool on the cookie sheet for 10 minutes.
- In the meantime, prepare the second tray of cookies following the steps above for baking
and cooling. - With a spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and let cool completely.
- The cookies will keep for up to 10 days in an airtight container. They will keep for 2
weeks refrigerated, or up to 6 months frozen.
Syrup
On your mark, get set…
- Wash the ginger but don’t peel it. Cut into ¼-slices and coarsely chop.
Cook!
- Combine the chopped ginger, water, sugar, and molasses in a medium saucepan and set
over high heat. - Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered, for 20 minutes.
- Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl. Let stand for 10
minutes. - Add the vanilla and stir to combine.
- Pour the syrup into a clean glass jar and cover with a lid
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight.
Chef's Tip
Fresh ginger is naturally spicy. When it is concentrated, as in this recipe, it may be too strong for some tastes. Experiment with the amount of syrup that is best for you when you use it in other recipes.
Matthew Locricchio
IACP-winner Matthew Locricchio acted in film, television and on the West Coast and New York stage beginning mid-1970s. After a career spanning thirty years, Matthew decided to use his love of cooking to inspire young people to learn confidence in the kitchen. He is the author of several international cookbooks including a collection for younger cooks – The International Cookbook for Kids, The 2nd International Cookbook for Kids, and Superchef series. Older youth will enjoy Teen Cuisine and Teen Cuisine New Vegetarian, his last title. In April 2013 this book won the International Association of Culinary Professionals 2013 award as Best Cookbook for Children, Youth, and Family. He died at his home in New York City on January 9, 2019.
Courtesy photo
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