The Tastes of Childhood

Of all the senses humans possess, it's said that the sense of smell is most closely related to memory retrieval. For anyone  who has ever smelled the delicious aroma of chocolate chip cookies baking, and has been thrown back to their childhood, back to a simpler time when cookies cured all worries, you understand this peculiar sensation. For me, food smells in particular allow me to embrace floods of wonderful memories that bring me back to my childhood. These ginger cookies smell and taste like the Christmases of my younger years. They are a version of the classic gingerbread, only updated to make them more sophisticated, and thus more enjoyable all year long.


Mom recently expressed an interest in candying her own ginger. For those of you who have bought candied ginger before, you know it can get kind of pricey, ranging from about $5-7 for an 8 oz jar. With this recipe, it becomes monumentally cheaper. At first glance, it may seem intimidating to make, but it's actually fairly simple. You only need a kitchen scale. Since this cookie recipe calls for a lot of candied ginger, it is far cheaper to just make it yourself. We store our leftover ginger in a jar in the fridge, in order to extend its life. We recommend chopping the ginger up fairly finely before adding it to the dough, so nobody chomps into a giant chunk of ginger, which can be a little overwhelming for the tastebuds.


These cookies are our substitute for traditional molasses cookies. They retain the classic flavors found in molasses cookies, but punch up the volume. They don't stay fresh for more than a couple of days, however they freeze extremely well. We always leave out a few, freeze the rest, and use them as needed.


Enjoy!

Ultimate Ginger Cookies
Makes 16


Ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses
1 extra-large egg, at room temperature
1 1/4 cups chopped crystallized ginger
Granulated sugar, for rolling cookies


Preheat the oven to 350 and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.


Sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt together in a large bowl and give the mixture a quick stir. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes using the paddle attachment. Switch to low speed and add the egg, beating for 1 minute. Keep the mixer on low and slowly add the dry ingredients. Turn mixer to medium and beat for 2 minutes. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until just combined.


Scoop the dough and roll each cookie into a 1 3/4 inch ball. Flatten slightly with your hands. Dip each side of the cookie into the granulated sugar and place on the pan. Bake for exactly 13 minutes. The cookies should be crackled on the top and soft on the inside. Cool on pan for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to completely cool.


Recipe courtesy of Barefoot Contessa at Home Cookbook