Ginger Spice Cookies

I’m going away for a few days this week, and wanted to leave D with an ample supply of goodies for while I’m gone, so yesterday was a non-stop baking marathon chez moi. I’ll admit that I find myself constantly reverting to tried-and-true recipe favorites, like those cranberry cornmeal cookies and whole wheat sables. But these days, when making an old recipe means no blog post, I’m shockingly motivated to seek out new, potentially-delicious recipes. Save the occasional failure and the very infrequent disaster, my adventurousness has been paying off.

As it happens, the only new recipe I made this weekend involved eggplant and feta cheese, so no, it’s not a cookie recipe. But that’s another story for another day. The cookies I made yesterday are all old favorites that have somehow slipped to the bottom of my mental stack, and ginger spice cookies top this list of wonderful but forgotten cookies. No sooner had I sliced up the crystalized ginger than my ginger spice memories came flooding back. After taking a warm, moist, molasses-y bite, I doubted that I’d ever forget these cookies again.

Some prefer a ginger snap (so called for the sound its thin size and crispy texture allow), but I favor the soft yet dense cookies this recipe produces. If you make them small or bite-sized, as I did, reduce the cooking time by about 3 minutes. One more note: while it never occured to me until just now, I bet these cookies would really kiss you if you added some orange zest to them — maybe a tsp or so for the whole batch. If you try it, leave a comment and let me know how they came out!

Ginger Spice Cookies
from Epicurious; makes about 30.

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• 1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup mild-flavored (light) molasses
• Sugar

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in medium bowl; whisk to blend. Mix in crystallized ginger. Using electric mixer, beat brown sugar, shortening and butter in large bowl until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and beat until blended. Add flour mixture and mix just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly butter 2 baking sheets. Spoon sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart.
3. Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 12 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer to racks and cool. (Can be made 5 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)