Double Ginger Crackles

The double hit of ginger here comes from both ground ginger and crystallized ginger.

• 10 oz. (2-1/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2-3/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. table salt
• 6 oz. (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1-1/3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 3 Tbs. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Tip:

For the best results, measure your flour by weight instead of volume. (1 cup of all-purpose flour equals 4-1/2 oz.) If you don’t have a scale, be sure to use the proper technique when filling your measuring cups.

Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment or nonstick baking liners.

In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar with an electric mixer (a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or a hand-held) on medium-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Using a 1-Tbs. cookie scoop, a small ice cream scoop, or two tablespoons, shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1-1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through baking, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 min. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet. Let the cookies sit on the cookie sheet for 5 min. and then transfer them to a rack to cool completely. When cool, store in airtight containers.

Ginger flavor intensifies with time, making these cookies excellent candidates for long keeping. When stored in an airtight container, the cookies remain impressively delicious for up to five days from baking. Well wrapped, the cookies will keep for several weeks in the freezer.

Double Ginger Scones

• 9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 oz. (3/4 cup) medium-finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

For finishing:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbs. milk for glazing
• 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. Add the crystallized ginger, tossing until the pieces are evenly distributed and coated with flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two table knives until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.

In a small bowl, stir the cream and egg yolks just to blend. Add this all at once to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork to begin combining the wet and dry ingredients and then use your hands to gently knead the mixture together until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the dough and it can be gathered into a moist, shaggy ball. Don’t overknead: This dough is sticky but benefits from minimal handling. Set the rough ball in the center of the prepared baking sheet and pat it gently into a round about 1 inch thick and 7 inches in diameter. Don’t be tempted to make the round any flatter.

With a sharp knife or a pastry scraper, cut the round into eight wedges; separate the wedges. Brush the scones with the egg-milk glaze (you won’t need to use all of it) and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake until the scones are deep golden a toothpick inserted into the center of the wedge comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.  Slide the parchment onto a rack and let the scones cool for 10 to 15 mintues before serving. 

Gingersnap Snowflakes

I wanted to capture the flavor of gingersnaps in a cookie that I could roll out and cut into festive shapes. Every Christmas, I make these with my niece and nephew, who love to cut them into snowflakes. After we bake them, I fill a couple of pastry bags with the icing and let the kids go to town.

For the cookies

• 13-1/2 oz. (3 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour; more for rolling
• 2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1 large egg, at room temperature
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the decoration

• 1/2 lb. (2 cups plus 2 Tbs.) confectioners' sugar
• 2-1/2 Tbs. meringue powder
• Blue food coloring
• Edible silver dragées

Make the cookies

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, ginger, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves; set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla until thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined.


Divide the dough in half, shape into two balls, and wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 and up to 8 hours.


Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 375°F. Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment.


Working with one piece of dough at a time, roll it on a lightly floured piece of parchment until it’s about 1/8 inch thick. Put the parchment and dough onto another cookie sheet and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Cut out cookies with a 5-inch snowflake cookie cutter. Remove excess dough from around the cutouts and transfer them with a spatula to the prepared sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. You can gather and reroll the scraps up to 2 times.


Bake one sheet at a time until the cookies begin to darken around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes.


Cool on the sheet on a rack for about 15 minutes. Transfer the cookies directly to the rack and cool completely.

Decorate the cookies

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, mix the confectioners’ sugar, meringue powder, and 1/4 cup cold water on low speed until blended. Increase the speed to medium and beat until the icing holds thick, soft peaks, 3 to 4 minutes. Test the icing’s consistency by piping a small amount through a piping bag fitted with a straight #2 tip. If it’s too thick, add a few drops of water to the mixture in the bowl. If the icing seems too runny, add confectioners’ sugar, a tablespoon at a time, beating on low speed to blend. Don’t over-beat, or the icing will stiffen and lose its gloss. Keep the icing covered with a damp cloth or plastic wrap until ready to use, and use the icing the same day it’s made.


Put about three-quarters of the icing in a clean 1-quart container. Put the remaining icing in a small container and tint with the blue food coloring. (Stir in coloring a bit at a time until the desired shade is reached.)


Put a small amount of the white icing in a piping bag fitted with a straight #2 tip and pipe the outline of the cookie.


Stir water, a few drops at a time, into the remaining white icing until the icing no longer stays peaked when piped but creates a smooth surface. To test, put a small amount in another piping bag with a #2 tip (the icing will drip, so have a cloth ready). Fill in the lines on each cookie, allow the icing to spread, and be careful not to overfill—use a small paintbrush to help spread the icing if necessary. Let the cookies air dry until the icing is set; 2 to 3 hours.


When the white icing is completely dry, put the blue icing in a clean piping bag fitted with a #2 tip and pipe branched lines connecting opposite tips of the snowflakes. Decorate with dragées while the blue icing is wet.

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread

If you like, dust the gingerbread with confectioners' sugar and present it on a platter. I like to serve it straight from the baking dish. The amounts of flour and butter are given by weight (ounces) and by volume (cups or tablespoons); use either measurement.

• 8-1/4 oz. (1-3/4 cups plus 2 Tbs.) flour
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 2-1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
• Pinch salt
• 2-1/2 oz. (5 Tbs.) butter, softened at room temperature
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 3/4 cup dark molasses
• 3/4 cup cold water
  

For the whipped cream:

• 1 cup heavy cream (not ultrapasteurized, if possible)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Heat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8x8-inch cake pan. Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy. Add the sugar and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour in the molasses in a slow, steady stream, beating all the while. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until well combined. Mix in the remaining dry ingredients. Slowly pour in the cold water and stir until well incorporated.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool in the pan about 1 hour before serving.

Beat the cream until thickened. Slowly pour in the syrup and continue beating until the cream holds soft peaks. Cut the cake into squares; serve with the whipped cream.

Steamed Coriander-Gingerbread Cake with Eggnog Crème Anglaise

Though the seaming process leaves it deliciously moist straight from the oven, This cake is even better one or two days later, after the spices have had a chance to meld.

• Cooking spray for the cake pans
• 1 lb., 1 oz. (3-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. baking soda
• 1 Tbs. ground ginger
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1-1/4 tsp. table salt
• 6 oz. (generous 1 cup) pitted dates, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
• 6 oz. (12 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups molasses
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 oz. (3/4 cup) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 recipe Eggnog Crème Anglaise 

Bring a large kettle of water to a boil—you’ll need 1-1/2 cups for the cake batter and about 2 quarts for the steaming pan.

Position one rack in the center of the oven and another beneath it in the lowest slot. Set a 10x15x2-inch baking pan or Pyrex dish on the lower rack and fill the pan halfway with boiling water. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two 9x2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. Apply another light coat of cooking spray to the parchment.

Prep the ingredients:

Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Put the chopped dates in a small bowl with 3 Tbs. of the flour mixture. Pull apart any date pieces that may be stuck together and toss to evenly coat with the flour.

Crush the coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Alternatively, seal the seeds in a zip-top plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them finely.

Mix the batter:

Put the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter on medium speed until very soft and smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the molasses and beat again on medium speed just until evenly incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 10 seconds after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed between additions. The batter will look broken.

Measure out 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Turn the mixer to very low speed or, if you prefer, do all remaining mixing by hand. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the boiling water in five additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until each addition is incorporated, as overmixing will lead to a tougher cake—it’s fine if the batter looks slightly lumpy. Stir in the reserved date-flour mixture, crushed coriander seeds, and chopped walnuts. The batter will be quite loose.

Bake the cakes:

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans. Set both pans on the center rack and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 55 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans about 10 minutes and then invert them onto cooling racks and peel off the parchment paper. (Allow the water-filled baking pan to cool in the oven until it can be safely moved without spilling hot water.)

Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature. Cut each cake into 8 to 10 slices and serve each piece with 2 to 3 Tbs. of Eggnog Crème Anglaise.

Double Ginger Scones

• 9 oz. (2 cups) all-purpose flour
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbs. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. table salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 4 oz. (3/4 cup) medium-finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 3 oz. (6 Tbs.) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten

For finishing:

• 1 large egg lightly beaten with 1 Tbs. milk for glazing
• 1 to 1-1/2 tsp. granulated sugar

Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F. Line a heavy baking sheet with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. Add the crystallized ginger, tossing until the pieces are evenly distributed and coated with flour. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two table knives until the largest pieces of butter are about the size of peas.

In a small bowl, stir the cream and egg yolks just to blend. Add this all at once to the flour mixture. Stir with a fork to begin combining the wet and dry ingredients and then use your hands to gently knead the mixture together until all the dry ingredients are absorbed into the dough and it can be gathered into a moist, shaggy ball. Don’t overknead: This dough is sticky but benefits from minimal handling. Set the rough ball in the center of the prepared baking sheet and pat it gently into a round about 1 inch thick and 7 inches in diameter. Don’t be tempted to make the round any flatter.

With a sharp knife or a pastry scraper, cut the round into eight wedges; separate the wedges. Brush the scones with the egg-milk glaze (you won’t need to use all of it) and sprinkle with the sugar. Bake until the scones are deep golden a toothpick inserted into the center of the wedge comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes.  Slide the parchment onto a rack and let the scones cool for 10 to 15 mintues before serving. 

Steamed Coriander-Gingerbread Cake with Eggnog Crème Anglaise

Though the seaming process leaves it deliciously moist straight from the oven, This cake is even better one or two days later, after the spices have had a chance to meld.

• Cooking spray for the cake pans
• 1 lb., 1 oz. (3-3/4 cups) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbs. baking soda
• 1 Tbs. ground ginger
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1-1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1-1/4 tsp. table salt
• 6 oz. (generous 1 cup) pitted dates, chopped into 1/4-inch pieces
• 2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. whole coriander seeds
• 6 oz. (12 Tbs.) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 cups molasses
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 3 oz. (3/4 cup) walnut halves, toasted and coarsely chopped
• 1 recipe Eggnog Crème Anglaise 

Bring a large kettle of water to a boil—you’ll need 1-1/2 cups for the cake batter and about 2 quarts for the steaming pan.

Position one rack in the center of the oven and another beneath it in the lowest slot. Set a 10x15x2-inch baking pan or Pyrex dish on the lower rack and fill the pan halfway with boiling water. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat two 9x2-inch round cake pans with cooking spray and line the bottoms with parchment. Apply another light coat of cooking spray to the parchment.

Prep the ingredients:

Sift the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt into a large bowl. Stir to combine. Put the chopped dates in a small bowl with 3 Tbs. of the flour mixture. Pull apart any date pieces that may be stuck together and toss to evenly coat with the flour.

Crush the coriander seeds with a mortar and pestle or in a spice grinder. Alternatively, seal the seeds in a zip-top plastic bag and use a rolling pin to crush them finely.

Mix the batter:

Put the softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Cream the butter on medium speed until very soft and smooth. Gradually add the sugar and continue to beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Add the molasses and beat again on medium speed just until evenly incorporated. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing for about 10 seconds after each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed between additions. The batter will look broken.

Measure out 1-1/2 cups boiling water. Turn the mixer to very low speed or, if you prefer, do all remaining mixing by hand. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the boiling water in five additions, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix just until each addition is incorporated, as overmixing will lead to a tougher cake—it’s fine if the batter looks slightly lumpy. Stir in the reserved date-flour mixture, crushed coriander seeds, and chopped walnuts. The batter will be quite loose.

Bake the cakes:

Divide the batter equally between the two prepared cake pans. Set both pans on the center rack and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of each cake comes out clean, 40 to 55 minutes. Let the cakes cool in their pans about 10 minutes and then invert them onto cooling racks and peel off the parchment paper. (Allow the water-filled baking pan to cool in the oven until it can be safely moved without spilling hot water.)

Serve the cakes warm or at room temperature. Cut each cake into 8 to 10 slices and serve each piece with 2 to 3 Tbs. of Eggnog Crème Anglaise.