until yesterday
it had been years
since i made
gingerbread cookies
but
come holiday time
i bake for others
others with specific requests
so
i dusted off my cookie cutter
and scoured my recipe archives
i found a fun idea in
nancy baggett's all american cookie book
for
a chocolate glazed version
one of my favorite combinations
gingerbread and chocolate is
here's what i have to say
i will give you her recipe
slightly altered
(it is what i do, i can't help myself)
it produces a firm and crisp cookie
(which i like)
but it lacks a "roundness", another flavor note, i think
i added honey and it is an improvement
and then there is the glaze
it just was NOT chocolatey enough
looking like chocolate
and tasting like chocolate
are two entirely different things
i bumped it up--considerably
i give you the recipe
with the tweaks already in
if you want the original
buy the book
it is worth it
she has some great recipes
(adapted from all american cookie book)
6 1/2 cups flour (plus more if needed)
2 Tbs ground cinnamon
2 Tbs ground ginger *
1 tsp ground cloves
1 1/4 tsp kosher salt *
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 cups dark brown sugar *
1 cup unsalted butter--slightly softened
2 Tbs corn oil (or other flavorless oil)
1 1/4 cup molasses*
1/4 cup honey*
whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, salt and baking powder in a large bowl and set aside. in an electric mixer, beat together the brown sugar, butter, and oil until light and fluffy. beat in molasses, honey and 2 1/2 Tbs water until well blended. beat in half the flour mixture until well blended. stir in the remaining flour. knead the dough until it becomes smooth and shiny. if dough is too stiff, you may add a bit more water, if too sticky, add flour. divide dough into three pieces. roll each piece in between pieces of wax or parchment paper to 1/4" thick. place in the refrigerator to firm up (about 3 hours). when ready to use, peel back the parchment from both sides and using a cookie cutter, stamp out design. bake on a parchment lined cookie sheet for approximately 6-12 minutes at 350F. keep a close eye. let cool, then dip in chocolate glaze
chocolate luster glaze
11/2 ounce unsweetened chocolate--coarsely chopped and melted*
3 1/4 cups powdered sugar
pinch kosher salt*
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder*
1/3 cup water
1 Tbs light or dark corn syrup*
1 tsp vanilla extract
heat the water and corn syrup in a sauce pan, over medium heat until it just comes to a boil. remove from heat. sift together the powdered sugar, salt and cocoa powder. stir the hot syrup/water into the powdered sugar mixture and beat by hand until smooth and shiny. toss in the vanilla and melted chocolate and beat again until smooth. dip cookies or use an offset spatula to frost. let cookies sit a minimum of 3 hours to ensure they are set. decorate as desired.
the ingredients marked by * have been altered, or added by yours truly.