Christmas Cookie Time

Posted on | December 24, 2007 | Comments Off

We had a lot fun making cookies for Christmas. My niece joined me over the weekend to help with all the baking. We made Mexican Wedding cookies, Gingersnap cookies, and Peanut Butter cookies. The afternoon was really special for me and my niece. Everyone’s favorite? Gingersnaps! The boyfriend grated tons of fresh ginger into the cookies to give them a great spicy kick. All the recipes are from Martha Stewart’s Baking Handbook available at amazon.com. I have included our favorite recipe for the Gingersnaps below.

Our favorites: Gingersnaps.

Gingersnaps

Makes about 5 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/2/ teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/4 cups packed dark-brown sugar

1/4 cup unsulfured molasses

1 1/2 tablespoons finely grated, peeled, ginger

1 large egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter, brown sugar, molasses, and ginger on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat in the egg until smooth and combined, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture, and beat on low speed until just combined. Transfer dough to a bowl and wrap in plastic; refrigerate until well chilled, about 1 hour or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place granulated sugar in a shallow bowl; roll bowls in sugar to coat completely, and place about 2 inches a part on the prepared sheets.

Bake rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are deep golden all over and centers are firm, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.

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