One of the things I like most about Christmas is ginger cookies!!! I enjoy their spicy flavor and chewy texture. So I was very happy when I received requests to post the recipe for these amazing ginger cookies.
Ginger cookies prepared in this part of the world (Middle East) are quite different than the ones prepared in the U.S. and Europe. The texture and taste is different and I am sure you will love them!
The main difference is the type of molasses used. In the West sugarcane molasses is used for preparing Ginger cookies, while here in the East we use pomegranate molasses. This may seem as a small difference but in fact this one ingredient has a major affect on the taste of these cookies as well as on their texture.
Pomegranate molasses has this tangy, soury taste that is very different than the taste of sugarcane molasses. I discovered this the hard way!! In my country when we call for molasses in recipes, it is usually assumed that it is pomegranate molasses. Many years ago I tried for the first time to bake Ginger Bread, and, needless to say, I used pomegranate molasses. the result you ask??? DISASTROUS!!! The cake was a piece of solid rock, and when I did manage to break a small piece of it, it was sooooo sour that probably eating a lemon was easier!! It took me some time to figure out what went wrong!!!
These Ginger Cookies prepared the Middle Eastern way are delicious... I would even dare say much more than the ones prepared with sugarcane molasses. Pomegranate molasses pairs beautifully with the spices called for in the Ginger Cookies recipe. Also, the texture of the final Ginger Cookies is more textured while they still remain chewy.
If you want to prepare these cookies with sugar cane molasses, you will need to adjust the four (increase it).
Ginger Cut-out Cookies Recipe
Preparation time: 30 min Cook time: 15 min
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons orange zest
2 3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup corn flour (starch)
2 teaspoons baking soda (soda bicarbonate)
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
200 grams (7 oz) butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
1 1/4 cup white sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup pomegranate molasses
If you are planning to glaze these cookies with sugar icing, or sprinkle them with powder sugar, decrease the sugar called for in the recipe to 1 cup.
How to make Ginger Cut-out Cookies Recipe:
- Rind the oranges for orange zest. Take care to only rind the orange skin and not the white pulp as that can give a bitter taste.
- In a bowl mix the flour, corn flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt.
- Beat the butter until creamed.
- Add the egg and orange zest and beat until incorporated.
- Add the molasses and beat.
- Gradually add the flour mixture - beating all the time - until you add i t all. Halfway through you will need to switch to the dough paddles.
- Tightly wrap the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 6 hours to overnight (you can even chill it for 24 hours and more). Chilling the dough will make it easier to handle and will let the flavors integrate.
- Heat oven to 375° Fahrenheit.
- Remove dough from fridge in portions (it is best to roll out the dough while cold). Place dough on a waxed paper, cover with another waxed paper and roll dough between the waxed paper. The dough thickness should to be about half a centimeter (1/4 inch), if it is thicker the cookies will loose their shape as they bake.
- With cookie cutters, cut dough into desired shapes. Once you cut out the cookies, scrape the extra dough and shape it in a ball and freezer while you work with the remaining dough. This will keep the dough cold as it is easier and better to work with cold dough.
- Line trays with waxed paper. Place cookies on baking trays - keep good distance between cookies as they tend to get large during baking.
Note: I usually use two to three trays. When the cookies in the first tray are baked I remove it from the oven and set the tray aside for a few minutes to give the cookies some time to cool and harden. Meanwhile the second tray is in the oven. After the cookies cool I remove them from the oven tray and place the tray near a window to cool while the other tray bakes. Once it is cool I place on it another batch of cookie dough. You don’t need to change the waxed paper for the 2nd or even 3rd round of baking… I usually reuse it and it works fine!
- Bake for 8 to 15 minutes. Exact baking time depends on the thickness and size of your cookies. Smaller sized cookies need 8 minutes while larger cookies may need up to 15 minutes. Keep a close watch on them; when you remove the ginger cookies from the oven they need to be soft and tender - if they harden in the oven, they are over-baked! Leave the ginger cookies on the oven top for a few minutes to cool and harden before you remove them from the tray. If by chance you over-bake your ginger cookies, remove them quickly from the hot tray to another cold tray so that you stop the baking process as soon as possible.
- Once cooled, store in an airtight container.
Hope you enjoyed todays’ easy sweet recipe: Ginger Cut-out Cookies with a Middle Eastern Twist. Bon appetite.
What is your favorite holiday recipe?
اضغط الرابط لقراءة وصفة بسكويت الزنجبيل باللغة العربية
