Bringing Sweet Back

• I haven't done any baking since the holidays. I put myself on a baking ban after I failed my silly little glucose scan at 30 weeks and then had to sit through a three hour long visit to the blood center. It involved fasting. And chugging "fruit punch" from the bottle. And needles. Many needles. I don't do needles.
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I do however, do cookies. As soon as I found out that I passed the blood screen from hell and don't have gestational diabetes (Woo!), I picked up my food magazines. Maybe it's weird to celebrate passing a glucose test by baking sugar filled cookies rolled in more sugar, but that just made perfect sense to me. The January issue of Bon Appetit includes an adorable little feature on a Rocky Mountain Ski party, full of snow boots and skiers smiling and feasting on delights like these:

photo Bon Appetit

Oh hells yes. I don't do skiing. I don't do vacations in the snow. But as I said, I do do cookies. These were perfection on yet another snowy day in the dirty Jerz. Thankfully, it didn't snow quite enough for an early dismissal, so no kids got in the way of my baking these. Crispy on the edges, soft in the center, with little chewy surprise bits from the crystalized ginger... So amazing dunked in a mug of hot tea!

Triple Ginger Cookies

Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2011 

• Ingredients:
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup sugar
• 3/4 cup solid vegetable shortening 
• 1/4 cup light molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
• Raw sugar (for rolling)
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Preparation

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment. 
  
  
  Whisk first 5 ingredients and 1/2 teaspoon salt* in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and shortening in large bowl until fluffy. Beat in molasses, egg, and fresh ginger. Stir in crystallized ginger, then dry ingredients.
  
  
• Fill small shallow bowl with raw sugar. Using moist hands, shape 1 teaspoonful dough into ball; roll in raw sugar. Place on prepared sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, spacing cookies 2 inches apart.
• 
  Bake cookies until golden and dry-looking, about 15 minutes. Cool on sheets.
  
  
  *Note: in the magazine, this recipe calls for no salt, thus, I didn't use any. The online version of the recipe includes it in the preparation steps, but not in the list of ingredients. Typo? Change of plans? Idon't know, but add it or don't, these will still be incredible!
  
  
  *P.S. Don't forget to enter my Valentine's Giveaway by Feb.1st! 
  
  
  This post is linked to:
  Hearth and Soul

  Friday Potluck

  Whipperberry's Friday Flair