Small Batch Christmas, Cookie No. 2

OK, this one wasn’t truly a small batch… but the dough freezes for up to 3 months, so the cookies can be baked one small batch at a time. And… I just really wanted to try them.

So enthusiastic was I, in fact, that assembly was well under way before I realized I was out of ground ginger, dark brown sugar, and only had blackstrap molasses…, so I was punting right left and sideways before I'd even gotten half the ingredients in the bowl. I was undeterred, however - this cookie was going to happen! I substituted some pumpkin pie spice and allspice for the ginger (I would have done all pumpkin pie spice but I ran out of that, too *le sigh*) and went with light brown sugar and the blackstrap molasses. (I was basically just swapping the light and dark of the sweeteners, right?)

Happily, this cookie is not fussy. The allspice did make mine darker than those shown in the original recipe, so it looks more molasses-y than ginger-y but they are still shiny and cute, and very tasty little morsels.

Small Batch recipe #2 is another win!

Ginger Pennies

      Yield: 10 dozen bite-size cookies

From: Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks), at room temperature
• 1 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Zest of one lemon (optional)
• 3 tablespoons candied ginger, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup turbinado sugar, for dipping

Directions:

1. Mix the dry ingredients: 

Whisk the flour, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl.

2. Combine the wet ingredients: 

In a large bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar together for 3 minutes at medium speed, or until smooth. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed.

Add in the molasses, egg, vanilla, lemon zest, and candied ginger, beating until well combined, about 1 to 2 minutes. (I’m not a big lemon fan, so I omitted the zest.)

Gradually add the dry ingredients. (I don’t have a stand mixer, so I moved to a wooden spoon for this step.)

3. Form the logs:  

Lay out 3 sheets of plastic wrap and, working with a third of the dough at a time, form 3 logs that are roughly 12 inches long and an inch and a quarter wide each. The dough is fairly soft, so don’t try to roll it until you get it encased in plastic. (Don’t ask me how I know this…) 

Place the logs on a baking sheet or tray that will fit in your freezer, and chill for 1 to 2 hours, or overnight. The dough will keep in the freezer for 3 months or longer.

To Bake:

Once the dough has chilled and you’re ready to bake cookies, (yay!) preheat the oven 350°F and line your baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.

Pour some turbinado sugar into a shallow bowl. Slice the rolls into 1/4-inch-thick cookies and press one or both sides of each cookie into the sugar. Place them on the baking sheets, sugar side up if you only did one side.

Bake the cookies for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookie are lightly browned. Cool on the baking sheet. 

They will keep for at least two weeks in a tightly closed cookie tin.