Dudley and those closest to me would disagree (and rightfully so) but this is my preamble to this blog post: I don't care for rants and excuses. Period. HOWEVER, seriously, y'all, I am having some technological ISSUES over here! Issues with "Internet connectivity," issues with wireless, and issues using this crappy PC laptop rather than my beloved mac (and believe me, I know all of the issues with macs). So, cheers to December, and please send positive thoughts my way -- maybe all of these "issues" will sort themselves out soon, and I'll be back to blogging like I really, really want to do. In the meantime, pardon the ridiculously poor pictures on this post. This *insert four-letter word here* mouse pad (and any other mouse I try to use) on this *insert four-letter word here* laptop WILL NOT let me click and drag for anything. Seriously, I've been trying to edit them since last Friday. No joke. I'm so stinkin' irritated.
For the second year my blogging friend Di, of Di's Kitchen Notebook**, is hosting a virtual cookie exchange, and I'm delighted to participate (especially given my lackluster blogging for the past 12 months).
I think Christmas cookies have got to be my most favorite Christmas tradition. They're right up there with dinner and church on Christmas Eve and stockings and my mom's brunch on Christmas morning. I love anything that has to do with Christmas cookies. This is actually the first year in all of my years that I won't be with my family on Christmas, and it's the first year that I won't be around to bake the Christmas cookies for them either. Mrs. M has been baking up a storm, and it's a little strange to talk to my mom and hear all about the cookies she's baking. Cookie baking is MY domain -- I almost think that it isn't possible for my family to eat cookies made by anyone other than yours truly. In fact, I was actually going to send them their cookies . . . but Mrs. M has made dozens upon dozens of cookies already, and in a strange twist of events, she's going to send US cookies.
Last year for Di's Cookie Exchange I posted about Swedish Vanilla Cookies, the ne plus ultra of Christmas cookies in the M family. They're the gold standard, made and served only at Christmastime, and no Christmas would be complete without them. Right behind the SVCs, in my family, are gingersnaps. I love a good gingersnap, and for years we used my grandmother's recipe. It was a pretty good gingersnap, and I loved it frozen and dipped in milk. But then a few years ago I happened to see a recipe for Maida Heatter's English gingersnaps and I was intrigued enough to try it. This was the first time I deviated from the standard gingersnap recipe, and while I've tried many recipes for ginger and/or molasses cookies since then, this recipe remains my go-to gold-standard gingersnap recipe. And I know it's a winner because I managed to sell the gingersnap aficionados in my life, namely Mrs. M and PawPaw, on it. I've made some changes to Maida's recipe: the biggest change is to cut the butter back to get a cookie that's still buttery but also nice and chewy. I love this cookie because it's buttery, sweet, and chewy but it packs a nice hit of spice. There's nothing meek or mild about these gingersnaps! There you have it, in honor of the second cookie exchange, gingersnaps just the way my family likes them.
Speaking of families, Dudley doesn't like gingersnaps. I'm in the process of deciding what sorts of cookies to bake this year, and it will be interesting and fun to see what sorts of new cookie traditions unfold in my new little family!
English Gingersnaps
Adapted from Maida Heatter
Ingredients
2 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar (you could use dark brown for a more intense flavor)
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
Sugar for rolling the cookies (I prefer raw sugar)
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, thoroughly whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and black pepper.
In a mixing bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and then the molasses.
Add the flour mixture and stir until just combined. Note: if you are using a stand mixer be very careful not to over-mix the dough. It's better to finish it by hand with a spoon than to over-mix the dough! Chill the dough for at least 20 minutes (it will be very soft) or until you're ready to bake it. This is a great dough to make ahead and then bake.
Scoop rounded teaspoonfuls of the dough and shape into balls. Fill a small bowl with sugar, and roll the balls of dough in the sugar to coat. Place on prepared baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove the cookies from baking sheet and allow them to cool on a rack.
** My apologies: I can't click and drag to highlight and create links to other blogs or recipes. Please visit Di's blog, Di's Kitchen Notebook, and the recipe for Swedish Vanilla Cookies is in the archives of this blog.
