Spring has returned. The Earth is like a child that knows poems. ~Rainer Maria Rilke

Monday, December 20, 2010

Feeling Better and Makin' Cookies

Saturday morning I was feeling better so I baked some cookies....
This is called the Ultimate Ginger Cookie. It's one of Ina Garten's (The Barefoot Contessa) recipes. You can find it on the Food Network website and a lot of other places because it's a very popular cookie.
I watched Ina make these on her cooking show a few weeks back and decided to try them. I bought the crystallized ginger and then got sick. Saturday was the first day I felt like baking again so this is what I decided to create.
The only changes I made to the recipe were to reduce the amount of ground cloves from 11/2 teaspoons to 1/2 teaspoon, (I wanted GINGER cookies not CLOVE cookies.) I increased the ground ginger to 1 tsp. from 1/2 tsp. and when I chopped the crystallized ginger (very finely) I only had 1 cup instead of  11/4 cups that it called for.That was plenty. Almost too much.  I think a half to three quarters cup would be fine.
I used a size 40 scoop and refrigerated the dough for about a half hour to stiffen it some. It's very soft dough. Then I dropped the scoop of dough right into the sugar and carefully rolled it around. This dough is sticky so you don't want to handle it very much. When it's covered with sugar pick it up and put it on a parchment lined cookie sheet.
I pressed each scoop with a fork (like peanut butter cookies) and bake for 13 mins. This is where I made a slight mistake. I only baked them for 11 mins. They looked done because they are so dark in color. I think I should have baked them the full 13 mins.
They came out crispy on the outside and moist on the inside but today they are soft all around. I think they needed the extra minutes to stay crispy. The sugar gives them a shine on top. I would like to try a decorative sugar that's bigger and doesn't melt in as much as regular sugar does to see how it looks.
After a taste test, the Prospector and I agreed that this cookie was a keeper. They were delicious. The recipe made about 30 cookies.
You don't need "kosher" salt. I don't even know what that is. I thought salt was salt. Although, it may have to do with plain or iodized. I don't know. Just use what you have in the cupboard.
Follow the mixing directions to the letter. Don't use butter instead of oil and cook them for the full 13 minutes.
Now... enjoy them. They are even better the next day. We had one for BREAKFAST yesterday. All those spices kind of shake hands and start dancing together overnight. The flavor blends and "marries". ( This is a relationship that deserves a poem, Chef E.)
I took a nap after the cookies were done. Still not back to normal but, oh, I feel so much better. Maybe it's the GINGER.
Have a good week before Christmas and Bon Appetit!!

13 comments:

  1. Gosh, it would be nice to have a sniff of these coming from the oven :)

    I've collected a lot of cookie recipes over the years, some that I have never gotten around to making. But the best ones are like these, where someone has really expressed how good they are. I will be making these. Soon!
    Thank you.

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  2. umm sounds delicious I haven't baked a cookie yet. I'm sorry you have been sick! Jen and the kids have colds sore throats and coughs. I'm hoping not to get it!

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  3. I can almost smell them! I have been thinking about ginger cookies for days and here you are with a tried and true recipe for me. Thanks!
    I'm so glad you're feeling better. That was really a doozy, wasn't it? Speaking of doozies, what a wild weekend we had! Hope your placed fared the wet weather okay. We had a little flooding but not too bad.

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  4. yay you for feeling better finally!!

    I had a ginger cookie a few days ago and it was delish. I especially liked the little bits of ginger. I think I will have to give this one a try. Thanks for the review!

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  5. Glad to hear that you are feeling better. I have been hearing on the news where California is getting lots of rain and some snow. It is cold here in central Alabama. The cookie recipe sounds great, thanks for sharing it with us. Have a blessed day. Madeline

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  6. I've been trying to find a recipe for these kind of ginger cookies and you've come to the rescue! Hope you continue to feel better...eat more cookies...the ginger IS good for digestion!

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  7. Glad to hear you are feeling better. You had to be to make all these delicious looking cookie. Wish I had a big, hot one with some coffee. Take care and Merry Christmas.

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  8. I haven't decided if I am done baking yet. If I'm not, I think I might have to try a ginger cookie too. I really love ginger.

    Glad you're better!

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  9. I'm glad you are feeling better! If you weren't, these cookies would do the trick. I think I'm drooling LOL

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  10. I adore ginger snaps, I like them crisp. I think these must be more chewy? I have searched forever for actual singer SNAPS!Trader Joe's have good ones but I haven't yet been able to duplicate them. Happy Christmas Farmlady & the menagerie!

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  11. Merry Christmas, Connie. So glad you're feeling better! Our local Safeway has Kosher salt, so I imagine Raley's does, too. It's a coarser-grained salt than the standard Morton's, with no iodine. We used it on Christmas Eve roast beast. I'll have to try these cookies.

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  12. where did my comment go??? sigh... anyway it said i have a bag of those chips... found them in the cabinet yesterday... but i am making bread pudding right now :)

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