Giant Ginger Cookies

These cookies are to die for ( no kidding! ). These cookies will convert even the non-ginger lover in your family. Huge, thick, moist, melt-in-your mouth are just some of the adjectives to describe this cookie. One bite and you will feel all the spices in this cookie warming your throat and belly. These spices are so appropriate for the fall and winter season, as we call them warming spices.

Carole Walters really knows how to make cookies. One of my favorite cookies from her book Great Cookies: Secrets to Sensational Sweets are these Giant Ginger Cookies. My five year old loves these cookie and even though chocolate chip cookies are his all time favorite he will take this cookie over that any day.


Anna from Cookie Madness added some cayenne to this recipe, which I tried and absolutely loved. I used all butter instead of half butter and half shortening. So to counteract the over spreading of the cookie during baking I refrigerate my dough for 30 minutes before baking. I also omitted the 1/3 cup of sparkly sugar to roll the cookie dough in before baking as I did not want to make them sweet and did not want the change in texture the crunchiness would provide. These are not your store bought ginger cookies, so hard that you need to re-count your teeth every time you bite into one. These are huge and so soft that they melt in your mouth. This is my fourth batch already this season !! Thank you so much Anna for tempting me to try out these cookies. These are now one of my most favorite cookies to make.

 

Makes 10 large cookies


Ingredients

12 tbsp / 168 gm unsalted butter, softened a little
1 cup / 7.5 oz / 210 gm granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup / 2.75 oz / 79 gm molasses ( not blackstrap molasses )
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup / 10 oz / 281 gm all purpose flour / maida
1 tsp baking soda / soda bicarbonate
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves ( you can make your own clove powder by grinding whole cloves in your mortar and pestle - about 22 cloves makes about 1/2 tsp of powder )
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1 tsp cocoa powder




Method

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line your cookie sheets with parchment paper ( I used 2 cookie sheets ). Bake these cookies at the center row of your oven.
• With your cake mixer or stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar until just combined ( no need to beat them too much as this is not a cake ).
• Add the egg and beat it in, next add the vanilla and molasses. Beat again for another minute till it is all mixed in properly. Using a spatula scarp the sides in and beat again.
• In a separate bowl mix in the flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cayenne, nutmeg and cocoa powder.
• Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, in 2-3 batches and mix it all in. Do not over beat the dough. Divide the dough into 10 balls, about slightly larger than golf sized balls. Chill this in your fridge for 1 hour. Place the chilled dough balls on your baking sheet about 3 inches apart , flatten them slightly ( I bake 5 cookies per tray ) Bake for 15-16 minutes. Bake one cookie sheet at a time. When done the cookies appear cracked on top but still look quite soft. Remove and cool on the counter top. Once cooled enjoy with a tall glass of milk. These can be stored in an air tight container at room temperature.