Double Ginger Crackles

Continuing my quest for holiday spirit, I turned to one of my favorite holiday spices - Ginger!  Somehow ginger seems to evoke a warm, happy place in my psyche and provides an essence of holiday.  After all, where would we be without the annual Gingerbread House?

The first year I discovered crystallized ginger I used perused my books for every recipe I could find using the ingredient.  We had cookies, biscotti, scones, an Asian Chicken dish (which wasn't very good...) and I even took to eating the little golden pieces out of hand.

My most recent ginger discovery was Ginger Beer at the Kona Brewing Company on Oahu.  A friend recommended the beer, making me think of another dear friend, Harry Potter.  I was a bit hesitant to try it, but we felt we needed to.  Spicy, with a familiar warm bite, the beer was excellent and required a second round.  Unfortunately you will have to go to Hawaii to try it as they only serve it seasonally at their restaurants, but it's almost worth a trip to the islands just for a an afternoon brew!

Double Ginger Cookies have been a favorite on our holiday cookie tray for a few years, and I find that they also make a lovely treat with my morning coffee or tea.  Filled with a decent helping of ground ginger in addition to my prized crystallized version, the cookies pack a nice, spicy punch.  Rolled in raw (C&H from Hawaii!!) sugar, they not only look beautiful, but will have a pleasant little crunch to go with the slightly soft cookie texture.

Double Ginger Crackles

adapted from Fine Cooking

10 oz. (2-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
3 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 Tbs molasses
3 Tbs finely chopped crystallized ginger

raw sugar for rolling

Heat oven to 350°F.  Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or silicone baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour some raw sugar into a shallow bowl.  Scooping about 1 Tbs of dough shape into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 min. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 min. and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers.

Ginger flavor intensifies with time, making these cookies excellent candidates for long keeping. When stored in an airtight container, the cookies remain impressively delicious for up to five days from baking. Well wrapped, the cookies will keep for several weeks in the freezer.