Merry Christmas Ginger Cookie

Call me old-fashioned, but there is nothing like a good ginger cookie at Christmas time.  Maybe its an acquired taste that comes with adulthood, because I don't remember ever stealing the spice/ginger treats off the cookie tray when I was little.  My how things change.  I'm pretty sure it has something to do with a good recipe though, if I am pressed for a reason.  Chewy, spicy, molasses-y (is this a word?)......this never quite described the ginger "snaps" that I remember as a child.  It was a certain cookie from a special lady that changed all of that.

My sister's mother-in-law is responsible.  The story goes that when she was a young bride, her and her girlfriends got together to test recipes and come up with the "ultimate" molasses cookie.  They wanted one that bent when you torqued it.  One that oozed spicy undertones, and had that gooey sweetness from dark molasses.  Try them they did, and finally settled on the perfect one, a molasses crinkle.  Generously, that recipe passed into my sister's hands, and as the professional cookie baker in our family, she has dutifully pumped out dozens of these little darlings at holiday time.  Yes, they are often the first to be grabbed off the tray, and sometimes by the handfuls.

But, Christmas only comes around once a year, and there are those days when you, like me, may need a fix.  In our fair city, I have found two decent replicas.  I even introduced my sister to them in order to get her take on  them.....they passed the test.  One is a fresh baked vegan variety from our local "Dozen" cupcake shop.  The other is a packaged version, found only at a natural foods store, and often not in stock.   Happening on this recipe in the December 2009 issue of Bon Appetit made me think about that cookie testing that happened years ago, and made me wonder if these would compare with the Mrs. Branby's now famous molasses crinkle.  I am happy to report that yes, it does.  Merry Christmas, readers!

Triple Ginger Cookie

2 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1/2 cup minced crystallized ginger

2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter-softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 large egg, room temp

1/4 cup molasses

1 1/2 tsp grated fresh ginger

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup raw cane sugar (rough estimate)

Preheat oven to 350.  Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.  Combine dry ingredients, including crystallized ginger, in medium bowl.  Using a mixer, add butter.  Beat until creamy and light, about 2 minutes.  Add brown sugar, and beat on medium high about 3 minutes.  Add egg, molasses, and spices, beat to blend.  Add flour mixture in 2 additions, mixing just enough to incorporate.

Roll into balls, 1-2" in diameter, depending on size desired.  Roll in raw sugar and place on parchment sheet, about 2" apart.  Bake until edges are set, but centers are still soft, checking after 10 minutes.  Remove from cookie sheet to cool.