Homemade Gingersnaps

This cookie is made with three kinds of ginger along with molasses, cloves, white pepper, nutmeg, and cardamom. They are spicy (and a little hot actually)!

The first time I made these cookies, I bought candied ginger from the spice section of the grocery store. This made them just about the most expensive homemade cookie on the planet. Since then, I have purchased candied ginger in bigger bags online from Oh! Nuts, King Arthur Flour, and Amazon and have been pretty happy with the savings.

You will need a scalloped 3 1/4 inch round cookie cutter, although a biscuit cutter or a plain round cookie cutter would work in a pinch.

Yes, I know. Sixteen ingredients. Make them. You won't regret it. They are that good.

Homemade Gingersnaps

Makes about 20 to 24 cookies

Ingredients

10 ounces (2 cups) all purpose flour

2 1/2 ounces (1/2 C) whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

2 T plus 1 tsp ground ginger

Generous 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp ground white pepper

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Scant 1/8 tsp ground cardamom

8 ounces of unsalted butter, at room temperature

5 ounces light brown sugar (about 3/4 C lightly packed)

2 T honey

4 T unsulphured (not blackstrap) molasses

2 ounces finely minced candied ginger

2 tsp fresh ginger puree. Can be made with a Microplane or purchased

Sparkling or granulated sugar for sprinkling on the cookies

Instructions

1. Whisk the flours, salt, and spices in a bowl.
2. Mix the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on low for about 5 minutes, until fluffy. Mix in the honey and molasses until fully incorporated.
3. Mix in the dry ingredients in thirds, beating each time until just combined.
4. Add the candied and pureed ginger and mix until just combined.
5. Form the dough into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes and up to two days.
6. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
7. Roll out the dough between two pieces of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thick.
8. Cut the dough into 3 1/4 inch rounds with a scalloped or ruffled edge cookie cutter.
9. Place the cookies on a parchment lined baking sheet.
10. Gather up and roll out the scraps and cut more cookies.
11. Score the cookies at about half inch intervals (no need to be exact) with a toothpick or cake tester and very lightly sprinkle them with sparkling sugar or granulated sugar. 
12. Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, for 10 to 12 minutes, until brown. Make sure they are fully baked so that the cookies will be crisp. 
13. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
14. The cookies can be stored up to two weeks in an airtight container. These cookies freeze quite well. 

Sometimes it can be difficult to remove the cookies from the was paper without messing up the edges. What works for me is cutting the cookies on top of the wax paper, placing another piece of wax paper on top of them, flipping the whole thing over, and peeling off the top piece of was paper. Because they are not attached to the (now) bottom piece of wax paper, they are easy to move.

Adapted with permission from Miette by Meg Ray. The book is exquisite.