Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all purpose flour
- 1½ tsp baking soda
- 2½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp ground cardamom
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- ½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh ginger root, peeled and finely grated
- ¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- ½ cup butter, room temp
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 large egg, room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup of raw or sanding sugar
Instructions
- Arrange racks in lower and upper thirds of oven, then preheat to 350F.
- Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or use a silpat if you have one).
- Chop up the crystallized ginger into fine pieces and put aside.
- Peel the fresh ginger (I use this method), then finely grate it and put aside.
- To a medium bowl add flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom, salt, and pepper. Give these ingredients a good whisking and then put aside.
- To a large bowl, add butter, shortening and brown sugar. Beat on medium/high speed with an electric mixer until light and fluffy (about 2 minuets). Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and mix again for a moment.
- Add the grated ginger, vanilla, egg, and molasses to the large bowl. Beat on low speed until just combined. I switch from electric mixer to wooden spoon at this point, but it's optional.
- Add the bowl of dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
- Finally, add the crystallized ginger and stir through. The dough should be soft and sticky.
- Put the raw/sanding sugar in a bowl, and prepare to get your hands a bit dirty!
- With a regular teaspoon, scoop dough by the heaping spoonful and drop into the sugar bowl. Turn to fully coat each blob, then gently roll each one into a nice ball.
- Place balls on cookie sheets, 2-3cm apart, fitting 12 to a sheet.
- Put in both sheets, one on the top rack, one on the bottom rack, and bake for 12 minutes.Make sure you rotate the cookie sheets halfway through baking!!
- Cookies are done when the edges are firm and the centres appear cracked. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Let the sheets cool a bit before putting new cookies on them.
- Repeat steps 11-14 until dough is used up. Feel free to have a sample or two while you bake the rest. If you run out of raw/sanding sugar, don't despair -- use plain white sugar, or leave them naked!
These cookies freeze very well, so they are a great option to make ahead of a special occasion or event. I hope you love them as much as I do! Happy baking. ♥
