Holiday ginger cookie fun

Here be the latest installment in my ongoing Quest For the Perfect Ginger Cookie. I posted a picture of the experiment on All The Social Media, and the next thing I knew, people were asking for a recipe. I don't really use recipes so much as demolish them, but I have recorded the process here and include a link to the original at the end.  Read on!It requires chilling, so you don't need to start the oven until you're ready to bake. It also calls for diced-up crystallized ginger. I diced up a whole package a while ago while watching TV because I hate doing the work right before I bake. 1. Whisk/sift together & set aside in a bowl:

• 2-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2+ teaspoons ground ginger. I always go heavy on the ginger.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 teaspoons baking soda (NOT baking powder, do NOT substitute)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• a little nutmeg. How much? A pinch.  10 passes on my big spice grater. Yes, I have a whole nutmeg. Don't judge.

2.  In your mixing bowl, cream together:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar,
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar. (Light? Dark? Your choice. I went with light because I had it. Dark will add a stronger molasses-y flavor to the cookies)

• 1 cup butter and/or vegetable shortening.  I used 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)  & 1/2 cup Crisco. More butter=crispier cookies, more shortening=softer.

3. When the sugar & fat are creamed together all light & fluffy, add  & mix together well:

• 1 large egg

3.5 then blend in:

• 1/3 cup molasses
• as much very finely diced crystallized ginger as your heart desires. I used about  1/3 cup. A handful.

4. Finally, add in the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.  Dough will be stickier than sticky. (If you over-mix, the cookies will come out tough)5. Chill at least 1 hour. I chilled it overnight because that's how I roll.When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 375 degrees (F). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper or silicon...or be prepared to end up with a horrible, baked-on mess. Non-stick baking sheets might work, but don't say I didn't warn you. 6. Put some white granulated sugar in a bowl. How much? Depends on how many cookies you're baking. 1/2 cup for the whole batch should do.  I suppose you could use coarse decorating sugar or raw sugar if you wanted. I never have any.For random fun, here's a link to sugar descriptions & uses: All Different Kinds Of Sugar.7. Scoop out  dough in 1/2" blobs (about the diameter of a nickel)  roll into balls and coat with sugar before setting on the baking sheet.8. Bake 8-10 minutes, until the cookies flatten out completely.  Cool on the sheet until they're firm enough to transfer to a baking rack. Try not to eat them all while they're still hot enough to burn your tongue.I liked these enough that I immediately made notes and am putting it into my regular rotation of "cookie doughs to prep & keep in the freezer at all times."Maybe you'll like them too.

*****************

Note: this recipe is heavily modified and reformatted from one I found on a wonderful website which is home to many delicious ideas. You can also find gorgeous, excellent how-it-should-look photographs for this recipe there:Crispy Ginger Cookies recipe from Once Upon A ChefThe original recipe called for some spices I don't put in my baking (allspice & black pepper) didn't have any crystallized ginger (the horror!) and it described making 36 BIG  cookies while I prefer making 50-60 small nibbly cookies from the same amount of dough.