Ginger Spice Cookies
Ingredients
- 1-inch knob peeled fresh ginger or 2 Tbs. prepared ginger juice
- 3 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
- 3/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. fine salt
- 1 Tbs. ground ginger
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. freshly and finely ground black pepper
- 1 C. unsalted butter, room temperature cut into pieces
- 1 C. superfine sugar
- 2/3 C. molasses, preferably sorghum
- Icing:
- 1/4 C. water
- 3 Tbs. egg white powder
- 2 C. confectioners' sugar
- Food coloring, sprinkles, candies, or colored sugars as desired
Directions
Puree the ginger in a mini food processor with 2 Tbs. water. Squeeze and strain juice through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer. Discard the ginger pulp. Reserve the juice. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt and spices into a medium bowl, then whisk in the pepper; set aside.
Cream the butter and sugar with a handheld mixer until light and fluffy, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the molasses and ginger juice and beat until evenly incorporated, about 2 minutes. (Stir together with a spatula if needed.) Gradually blend the dry ingredients on low speed into the butter mixture until you have a crumbly mixture. Bring the dough together by hand pressing and kneading lightly until moist, but not tacky. Divide into 2 equal portions, press into disks about 1/2-inch thick. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 1 hour or overnight.
Position racks evenly in the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Dust the dough and a work surface with flour. Roll the dough about 1/4-inch thick. Cut out cookies into desired shapes. Transfer to a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake until the cookies are a rich tawny brown, about 18-20 minutes. Cool on a rack.
For decorating: Whisk the water and egg white powder in a medium bowl until foamy and smooth. Gradually whisk in the confectioners' sugar to make a smooth icing. For multiple colors divide the icing into batches and add a food coloring as desired. Spread or pipe the icing onto the cookies. Finish with sprinkles, or candies. Let rest on a rack until the icing sets, about 30 minutes.
Variations: For a chewier cookie, roll them 1/3-1/2-inch thick and bake for 16-20 minutes. Decorating holiday cookies is a great way to indulge your creative spirit while making something sweet. Crushed candy canes and chopped nuts are perfect holiday stand-ins for sprinkles. When adding food coloring to royal icing, add it slowly, drop by drop. Since it's potent stuff, your icing could quickly resemble a neon light. If you don't have a pastry bag and tip, use a plastic sandwich bag. Drop icing into the bag, push it to the corner, and snip off the corner tip.
Yield: About 3 dozen cookies
From: Food Network Kitchens
