Ginger Snap Cookies

Ginger Snap Cookies

This is a recipe from Americas Test Kitchens with Christopher Kimball.  I subscribe to Cooks Magazine by Christopher Kimball for the reasons that the recipes are easy but best of all I learn the reason for the ingredients or the mixing process.  I learned that sweet cream butter has a larger percentage of water than unsalted butter.  In this recipe it calls for the unsalted butter to be melted and cooked to a golden brown.  The melting butter will bubble while melting and the water evaporating.  Once the butter quits bubbling, watch closely as it burns easily at this point.

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Ingredients:

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and browned to a golden color.

     Remove from the heat and add:

2 tablespoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Pinch cayene pepper

2 tablespoons peeled and shredded fresh ginger root

   Allow to cool and spices to blossom.

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup molasses.

Whisk to spice mixture.  Do not over mix.

Whisk and Add 1 egg and 1 egg yolk

Sift togeher:

2 cups flour

pinch salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

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Directions:

Refrigerate dough 1 hour.  Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place 1/3 cup granulated in a small dish.  Roll cookie dough into 1 teaspoon sized balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on baking sheet 3" apart.  Bake on top rack of oven for 15 minutes.  Rotate baking pan and bake on bottom rack 12 to 15 minutes.  Yield 8 dozen.