Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup vegetable shortening, room temperature
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon rosewater
- 3/4 cup turbinado (raw) sugar, for rolling
Directions
Whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, cardamom, cinnamon, coriander, pepper and salt in a medium bowl until blended. Mix in the crystallized ginger. Set aside momentarily.
In a large bowl beat the brown sugar, butter and shortening with an electric mixer until fluffy (do not overbeat-it will add too much air). Add the egg, honey and rosewater and beat until blended. Stir in the flour mixture with a wooden spoon, mixing until just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 2 cookie sheets with nonstick cooking spray. Spoon the turbinado sugar in thick layer onto small plate. Using wet hands, form dough into 1 1/4-inch balls; roll in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared sheets, spacing 2 to 3 inches apart.
Bake cookies until cracked on top but still soft to touch, about 11 to 13 minutes. Cool on sheets 1 minute. Carefully transfer cookies to wire racks; cool completely.
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By Crystal.C
Arlington, VA
on December 15, 2010
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These cookies are *amazing* - spicy and not too sweet, fragrant and complex, with a fanstastic texture. I couldn't put them down! My only complaint was that they weren't as puffy as I expected - but who cares when it tastes this great!
Yes, the spices can be expensive, but they can be found in most major supermarkets. The rose water is a bit tricker - it's usually available from Middle Eastern grocery stores or, in a pinch, from some Middle Eastern restaurants. And if these spices are new to you, experiment with Middle Eastern or Indian recipes which also use these spices.
I recommend against cutting back the crystallized ginger, because once baked, the strong initial flavor really mellows out. I would, however, recommend keeping the dough cold throughout the rolling-in-sugar and waiting-on-batches-to-bake process to avoid it sticking to the plate and starting to absorb the turbinado sugar "crust." After making a batch, you may also want to increase the spices/rose water.
By jenjimlef
Bucks County, PA
on December 04, 2010
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cheryl_5and1_79, I loved your reminder that not only can we make some ingredients on our own, but there are great benefits, and sometimes additional products, that we get from doing so. I may use your ginger ideas in their own right, never mind about the cookies. Thanks!
By jenca78
South San Franc...
on September 07, 2009
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READ THE REVIEWS!!! There are crucial measurement corrections in here, and if you don't have the corrections, the cookies will NOT turn out right.
It is quite expensive to finance these cookies, since so many of the spices are not everyday spices. BUT, it's totally worth it. I used less crystallized ginger, just because I was concerned about it being over-ginger'd and mine turned out great. My friend has already told me that she wants a batch of these all to herself for her birthday, so I must have done something right!
Read all 42 reviews