By now, everyone knows that I think food should be attractive or, at least, colorful. I feel the same way about cookbooks. They should have lots of pretty, colorful pictures. So I was a happy baker when my aunt gave me a copy of Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook. This book is a treasure trove of classic cookie recipes. It’s also full of pictures! In addition to photos of the cookies, every page has whimsical little drawings of butter and eggs or cookie cutters or teacups. While I’m not a huge ME fan; I’d be lying if I didn’t say her illustrations make me smile.
As for the cookie recipes themselves? Every one that I’ve tried so far has turned out great! I especially like this recipe. It’s a twist on a classic gingersnap, in that there is very little “snap” involved. I am not a hard cookie fan. I like my cookies soft and chewy, which is exactly how these turned out. I’m sure you could bake them longer for a crispier cookie. But why would you do that and ruin a perfectly good cookie?
Ginger Krinkles
Makes about 3 dozen cookies
Ingredients
1/2 c. unsalted butter
1/4 c. dark molasses
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs, beaten
2 tsp. vanilla extract
additional granulated sugar, for coating
Directions
1. Melt butter with molasses in a large saucepan. Let cool. Transfer to a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
2. In a large-sized mixing bowl, combine flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg.
3. Whisk eggs and vanilla into the butter and molasses mixture. Slowly add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours (Overnight is ok).
4. Preheat oven to 350°. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
5. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. Coat each ball generously with confectioners sugar and place on a baking sheet, being sure to leave 3 inches of space between balls. Bake for 14 minutes, until cookies are slightly firm around the edges. Cool partially on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Enjoy!
My Thoughts & Suggestions
- This is a pretty self-explanatory recipe. That being said, I did deviate slightly from the recipe in the book. The recipe originally called for only one teaspoon of cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg. I doubled those amounts, knowing that the husband and I prefer our food on the spicy side.
- The only other change I made was to coat the cookies in granulated sugar instead of using powdered. I did this for a couple reasons. First of all, I liked the look of granulated sugar on these cookies. Also, I found that the slight crunchiness of the granulated sugar crystals added a little extra texture to the cookies.
Recipe Source: Adapted from Mary Engelbreit’s Cookies Cookbook by Mary Engelbreit Ink.
