French Ginger Cookies
Four dozen cookies
1 ½ cups granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
Zest of one lemon
16 Tbsp unsalted butter (2 sticks), room temperature
2 tsp vanilla paste
½ cup molasses
2 large eggs, room temperature
4 ½ cup all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
2 Tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp ground cloves
1 – 1 ½ cups Swedish pearl sugar
1) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line three baking sheet pans with parchment paper.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Give it an extra whisk or two to make sure the baking soda is fully dispersed within the dry mix.
3) In a standing mixer, first beat together the two sugars until no lumps of brown sugar remain. Then beat in the lemon zest until the sugar mix appears a bit damp. Add in the vanilla paste and molasses and beat on low to evenly combine. Add the eggs, one at a time, and continue to beat on low to evenly combine.
4) Add in the dry mix and pulse the mixer a few times so it doesn’t throw the dry out of the bowl. Then beat on low just until the mixture comes together into a dough.
5) Using a 1 ½ Tbsp spring-loaded scoop, scoop the dough into balls and roll in the pearl sugar. Place the cookies about 1 ½ inches apart on the baking sheets.
6) Bake one tray at a time for six minutes, rotate the pan and bake for an additional four minutes. Remove the pan and tap it on the counter to deflate the cookies and give them the desired cracks.
7) Let the cookies cool on the pan for 6-7 minutes and then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Version
1. Use 4 ¼ cup all-purpose flour and add 5 Tbsp dark cocoa
2. For the spices: substitute 1 tsp chili powder and 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
3. In a small measuring cup, stir 1 Tbsp instant espresso into 1 Tbsp hot water. Whisk in enough molasses to then equal the ½ cup required.
4. Fold 12 ounces dark chocolate chips into the dough before baking.
