The holiday season calls for something sweet, don’t you think?  My first instinct is always chocolate, but a girl cannot live by chocolate alone (or can she?).  Since I’m not much of a baker, decided to bring back a tried-and-true classic — ginger snaps.  But these are no ordinary ginger snaps, these are hyped up, super duper ginger snaps.

If you like gingery ginger snaps, then these cookies are for you.  They contain three types of ginger: 1) freshly grated ginger root, 2) crystallized ginger, and 3) ground dried ginger.  Perhaps more of a grown-up type of cookie (Yay, more for the adults.).  That being said, these ginger snaps have a nice amount of sweetness to balance out the spice — ginger, cardamom, and clove — in the form of brown and white sugar, and blackstrap molasses.  It’s the holiday season; no skimping allowed.

Lots and lots of ginger…the crystallized ginger is what sets this cookie apart, chewy and (obviously) gingery.

Roll out the dough into small balls and then flatten with the bottom of a cup.  Make sure to leave plenty of space between each, as they will spread out a bit.

For Santa…

Happy Holidays!

Ginger Snaps

yields 2 1/2 dozen cookies
3 ounces white sugar
3 ounces dark brown sugar
1 stick (4 ounces) butter
1/4 cup (3 ounces) molasses
1 egg
1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
4 ounces crystallized ginger, finely chopped
9 ounces all-purpose flour (or half whole wheat, half all-purpose, or all white-wheat)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cardamom
1/4 teaspoon clove
1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 350F.

Place the white and brown sugars and butter into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on low speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes.  Add the molasses, egg, and fresh ginger, and beat on medium for 1 minute.  Add the crystallized ginger and, using a rubber spatula, stir to combine.

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, clove, and salt.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until well combined.

Form the dough into 1 inch balls.  Place onto a parchment lined sheet pan approximately 2 inches apart. Gently press to flatten (but not completely), with the bottom of a cup (place a piece of parchment in between the cup and the dough to prevent them from sticking).

Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 13-14 minutes for chewier cookies and 15-16 minutes for crispier cookies.  Rotate the pan halfway through cooking.

Remove from the oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.  Repeat with the remaining dough.

Note: For a chewier cookie you can use all brown sugar (naturally more moist due to the addition of molasses).  For a crispier cookie you can use all white sugar.  I decided to split the difference and use half white sugar and half brown sugar.