It’s thanksgiving weekend (in Canada, it’s in October) and before taking the train home to spend time with the rest of my family, I find myself craving these Sparkling Gingersnap Cookies. Now, I know what you may be thinking: “these cookies are really more of a Christmas treat”. And I couldn’t agree more! Maybe it’s the splendor fall foliage that I paired with their golden brown-color. Or maybe it’s the “virality” of the Starbucks PSL ads (for those who don’t know: Pumpkin Spice lattes) making me beg the taste of fresh ground ginger. With all that around me, I think to myself – why not? Why wait for December to roll around the corner when I can make them this weekend? When I go back to thinking about last Christmas, the smell that comes from the oven while they are baking is enough to make my mouth water.
For their size and texture, these ginger cookies are more chewy than gingerbread. They embrace a sugar crusted outside and a soft, warm inside that will really excite your taste buds. They pair nice with a glass of milk on a cold fall afternoon or great for a family get-together as the perfect go-to sweet. And the only two secrets I have to making these delicious golden treats: a hint of cayenne and taking them out as soon as the smell of them baking fills the room.
Sparkling Gingersnap Cookies
Serving size: about 2 dozen or so.
Prep time: 15 min.
Bake time: 10 min.
Ready in: 50 min.
What you need:
- 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- ¾ cup margarine (softened)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon water
- ¼ cup molasses
- 2 tablespoon
- 2 tablespoons coarse sugar (or regular white sugar)
What to do:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a large bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
- In a separate bowl, cream together the margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy (I put the margarine in the microwave for 10 seconds to warm it up before mixing). Now beat the egg and slowly stir in the molasses mixture until combined.
- I like these cookies bite-sized, so shape the dough into walnut sized balls by putting tearing about 1 teaspoon of dough. From there, roll the dough in the palm of your hands and lightly finish rolling the dough ball in the coarse sugar (or remaining white sugar) until evenly coated. Then, place the dough on the baking sheet a few inches apart.
- Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies get golden brown, get aromatic and crack. Allow cookies to cool down on baking sheet for about 5 minutes before removing them to a wired rack. When completely cool, serve on a nice plate for friends and family or enjoy alone with a nice glass of cold milk!
- For any left overs, store in an airtight container placed in the fridge. Will last a few days.
Recipe inspiration: All Recipes
My Salt & Pepper 