Chewy Ginger-Cardamom Cookies
These are a slightly chewy gingerbread-style cookie. Treat them like your favorite sugar cookie dough and they'll cut out and bake wonderfully. They're lighter on the spices than typical gingerbread cookies, which makes some kids happier. The best part is that they stand alone happily without the need for icing.
Servings: 24 cookies
Equipment
- 3 cookie sheets
- 3 silpat or nonstick baking mats or parchment paper
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup unsulfured molasses preferably not black-strap (If you're not a fan of molasses, you can use honey.)
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 3 tsp orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract or 1 tsp vanilla powder
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour plus more for dusting, rolling, & cutting
Instructions
- Cream butter with granulated and brown sugar.
- Add molasses and keep beating to fluffy consistency.
- Add eggs, one at time, and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, orange zest and juice, and spices and mix until smooth. Scrape the bowl with a silicone spatula to make sure everything in the bottom is evenly incorporated.
- Gently mix in salt and baking soda, then sift in 4 cups of flour and mix gently.Dough should just come together, but not be too sticky to handle. If it is still sticky, add the remaining half cup of flour, one quarter cup at a time. Be careful to not cause it to get too dry and crumbly.
- Divide the dough in half and scoop the dough onto two sheets of wax paper and chill for at 30 minutes to an hour.
- Roll the dough to 3/8" thickness and cut with a cutter. Chill the dough again if it begins to feel too warm. You'll want your dough to be slightly cold or else it will spread and not keep shape as well. (You can even go up to 1/2" if necessary but adjust baking times accordingly.)
- Bake at 350F for 10-12 minutes (increase time by a minute or two if the cookies are thicker). Remove when the edges are lightly browned.