Gingers Unite!

The five-spice ginger chew has arrived

Happy Friday, cookie friends.

Today’s offering is a twist on a classic, the chewy ginger cookie.

Why mess with a classic you say? Well, because you can. Also: I ran out of cinnamon.

When I got over the shock that I, ME, had run out of cinnamon at the most wonderful cookie time of the year, I began some tweaks on my usual recipe, because I figured if I was going for it, I should just go for it.

Unique Changes! I’ll be quick:

• I used five-spice powder in place of cinnamon. I used McCormick’s five-spice, which blends anise, cinnamon, star anise, cloves and ginger. Not so far off from the spices used in traditional ginger cookies, save for the anise and star anise, which add a smooth, licorice warmth.

• I used all brown sugar instead of white to keep the cookies chewy.

• I substituted honey for the molasses. This may actually be the most shocking change of all to ginger cookie loyalists. The honey allows the butteriness of the cookie to shine through a little more.

Dislike the changes? No problem. This is a recipe that welcomes tweaks.

• Wary of 5-spice? Don’t have any? Use this combination of spices instead: 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves

• Don’t have enough brown sugar? You can substitute white sugar for half and still get a reasonably chewy cookie, but it will begin to harden after the first day.

• Love the earthy bitterness that molasses adds? Use it instead! Have any Lyle’s Golden Syrup around? Use that instead for a v. mild taste. You can even try maple syrup as substitute, but it will impart its own flavor. Which might be fantastic.

  

Ginger 5-Spice Chews

Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies

What You’ll Need:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons five-spice powder (see note above for substitutes)

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 ounces butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar (light or dark)

1 large egg, room temperature

1/4 cup honey (see note above for substitutes)

1/2 teaspoon orange zest (optional)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup minced crystallized ginger

What You’ll Do:

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, spices and salt until blended. Set aside.

2. In a stand, or with a hand, mixer, beat the butter and sugar together until light, about one minute. Scrape down the bowl.

3. Add the egg, honey, orange zest and vanilla and mix until well-blended, scraping down the sides, etc. etc….you know my little obsession with scraping, scraping, scraping.

4. Add the flour and blend until mixed. Add the crystallized ginger and mix until just incorporated.

5. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour, but longer is just fine. In fact, the dough called and said it will happily hang out in the refrigerator for a day, if well-wrapped. (You can freeze it too…)

6. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

7. Roll dough into 1-inch balls. If desired, roll the balls in white or turbinado sugar for extra sparkle and crunch. And sugar. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the sheet as they do tend to spread. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the cookies are crackled on top and light golden. Let them hang out on the pan for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Remember: ginger cookies get better as they age (bless them!), as the spices and flavors meld and mellow.

Let me know your thoughts, concerns, jokes, pet stories in the comments!

Thank you for your support! Please share with a friend, retweet, send love, and look out tomorrow for this week’s Secret Life of Cookies podcast, with special guest, Travis Akers….We are making haystacks, just like when you were a kid. And talking about the crazy week America just had.