Potential Christmas Cookie Experiment - Take One

A week or so ago my mother and I discussed what cookies I would be making for Christmas give-aways.  One of the cookies she requested was Ginger Snaps.  I've been trying to master the art of making a soft Ginger Snap...I know it kinda takes the "snap" out of it!  So yesterday when I came across the following recipe I decided to give it a try.  Here is the original recipe:

Lara's Tender Gingersnaps Recipe

36 Servings

Prep: 15 min. + chilling Bake: 10 min./batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat brown sugar and butter until blended. Beat in egg, then molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to brown sugar mixture and mix well (dough will be stiff). Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
• Shape dough into 1 in. balls. Roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 3 dozen.

Due to failure on my part to ensure I had the correct ingredients I was forced to make some changes.  I only had one stick of butter so I used margarine for the remainder of the specified amount.  I also added a few ingredients and changed amounts on some.  Here is the recipe I used:

Melodie's Tender Ginger Snap Cookies

16 Servings

Prep: 15 min. Bake: 14 min./batch

Ingredients

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup margarine
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

• In a large bowl, beat brown sugar, butter and margarine until blended. Beat in egg and vanilla, then molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; gradually add to brown sugar mixture and mix well (dough will be stiff).
• Shape dough into 2 in. balls using an ice cream scoop to measure dough.  This allows all your cookies to be the same size. Roll in sugar. Place 2 in. apart on baking sheets  Bake at 350° for 12-14 minutes or until set. Cool for 1 minute before removing from pans to wire racks. Yield: 16 large cookies



Underdone first tester batch

 I originally cooked the first 3 cookies for approximately 10 minutes.  I should have known that it would not be enough time due to the larger cookies.  The original recipe called for chilling the dough for 2 hours.  I skipped this step.  The dough is soft but rolls into adequate balls without the chilling.  If you prefer a stiffer dough to form the cookies then chill until your hearts content.  You may also notice from the photo that the color is very pale.  Your cookie should not be this color when its coming out of the oven. 

The Grand Finale

I increased the baking time to 14 minutes and the cookie turned out perfectly.  I used my husband's employees as extremely willing taste testers.  They all gave them a thumbs up.  Even my extremely picky husband said they were delicious because they aren't overwhelmed with spice.  I tend to agree that these cookies have the perfect amount of spice.  This one will be added to the Christmas Cookie List.