Wendy Moradian's Ginger Snaps
I met Wendy in Singapore, and she changed my life forever when she brought these incredible, humble cookies to a parent coffee. At once simple and textured, these are easy enough to make, but don't let the simplicity fool you. The sugar coating makes them sparkle and let's just say it — a bit sophisticated. These are little mouthfuls of miraculousness — if you love them as much as I do, thank Wendy, not me.
Buttery and tender, with a bit of crunch. And yes, I replaced my cookies sheets
The dough is refrigerated for an hour (don't skip this step!) then rolled into 1 inch balls <insert Schweddy Ball joke here> and then rolled in sparkling sugar from King Arthur before baking. If you can't find course sugar, regular sugar works too. But... this is why you use the fancy sugar.
The sugar sits on top and makes a delightfully crunchy layer which encases the tender, buttery interior.
Magic pixie dust made from the enchanted auras of unicorns!
Wendy Moradian's Ginger Snaps
- 2 cups of flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 3/4 cup large grain sugar such as King Arthur Sparkling Sugar (or additional fine sugar)
Directions:
Sift the first 6 dry ingredients into a bowl. Using electric mixer or food processor, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg and the molasses. Add dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Remove from dough from refrigerator, it should be stiff, but still pliable. Preheat oven to 350°. Form dough into 1" balls and roll in coarse granulated sugar. Bake 10-12 minutes.
If you are feeling very generous, you can give these away and make someone's day. I didn't want the recipient to worry about returning a container, so I figured out this nifty trick with waxed paper, a little tape and a bit of ribbon. Worked great!
Quickie Cookie Wraps
No elaborate instructions need! Just play around with it a bit. Depending on how magnanimous you are feeling, grab a stack of cookies (5 or 6 inches) which is about half as tall as the width of the waxed paper (11.75 inches). You want several layers of waxed paper when you roll them up to protect them, so depending on the size of your cookie, rip off a piece at least 24 inches long. Holding the cookies together gently, lay them down in the middle of the waxed paper as shown (maybe a little closer to the 'bottom') and roll them up to form a sleeve. Fold the bottom like you would if you were wrapping a pillar candle you are giving as a hostess gift. Secure with a bit of tape, then tape the paper along the seam which runs up the side of the cookie stack. There should be lots of excess paper at the top, so time to do what I always do when I want something to look special. Tie it with a bit of ribbon.
