I have spent the last few years trying to make a gingersnap that made me as happy as the yellow box from Nabisco. I have such fond memories of those cookies and every iteration I made was wrong. Too soft, too much molasses, too sweet, not enough ginger. I just couldn’t get where I wanted. Well, finally, here it is. My ideal gingersnap. Great as a cookie, delicious when pulverized for a crumb crust.
Makes about 40 2″ cookies
2 3/4 (330 g) cup flour
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
12 tablespoons (170 g) unsalted butter, cubed, at room temperature
1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup (57 g) light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup (85 grams) unsulfured molasses
1 egg yolk
4 teaspoons heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 325F degrees. Line 3 baking sheets with parchment or Silpat.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves. Whisk together and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or with a handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and molasses until fluffy. Don’t skimp on this step — really beat this mixture. Add the egg yolk and cream and beat until just combined. Scrape the bowl thoroughly with a silicone spatula. Add all the dry ingredients at once and use the spatula to mix the dough until no streaks of flour remain.
Use 2 teaspoons or a small scoop to portion out 15 cookies on each parchment lined pan. Roll each ball in the palm of your hand to make a smooth, firm ball. Bake one pan at a time in the center of the oven for 18 to 22 minutes, until the cookies have spread a little and are slightly puffed.
Smack the cookie sheet (pan-banging) on the oven rack once and remove to a cooling rack. Let cookies cool in the pan for 5 minutes, then slide the paper out of the pan and let the cookies cool completely on the rack.
Gingersnaps stay fresh for a week. Haha. They’ve never lasted that long.
