Cookie Exchange: Ultimate Ginger Cookie

It's Virtual Cookie {Recipe} Exchange Time!

I can't wait to share one of my favorite cookie recipes with you and I am even more excited to see what recipes you link up with!


One of my favorite cookies, especially during the holidays is homemade Gingersnaps.
(They have to be soft!)

I had a gingersnap recipe that I used year after year. But then my older sister made gingersnaps with a new recipe....and they were even better! She came over today to make them with us!
The recipe is adapted from the Barefoot Contessa's (Ina Garten) Ultimate Ginger Cookie.

Here is what you need to make The Ultimate Ginger Cookie:

• 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups dark brown sugar, lightly packed
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (optional)
• Granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies

The recipe calls for chopped crystallized ginger (we got ours a Whole Foods)

But, if you don't have any, you can make the cookies without the crystallized ginger. This is what it looks like, in case you were curious:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Then, stir it together.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, oil, and molasses on medium speed for 5 minutes.

Make sure you set the timer for 5 minutes so you don't forget. Elyse & Claire did a countdown for us:

Turn the mixer to low speed, add the egg, and beat for 2 minutes.

With the mixer still on low, slowly add the dry ingredients to the bowl and mix on medium speed for 2 minutes. Slowly add the crystallized ginger and mix until combined. If you aren't using the Paddle attachement on your stand mixer, you want to switch it for this part because the dough gets pretty dense and it might bend your mixer (not that I would know from experience.....!)

Here is the dough, all blended in!

Scoop the dough with a cookie scoop (or a spoon)

With your hands, roll each cookie into a ball & then roll in granulated sugar.

This was Kate's favorite part. She was in charge of rolling them in sugar:

It's all fun & games until someone got sugar spilled all over their head & shoulder:

Place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees:

The cookies will be crackled on the top and soft inside.

Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 1 to 2 minutes, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

They are the perfect cookie to enjoy with a cup of tea or cider. Yum!
And, they taste better if you eat them while sitting by your Christmas tree with Christmas music playing in the background :)

Now it's your turn to link up your favorite cookie recipe!
Use the linky below & remember to link to the specific post, not just your blog home.
It would be helpful if you included the cookie name in the linky!
Thanks for joining in and be sure to check out all the other recipes!

*If you need more time to get your post up, I will keep the linky open for the next 2 weeks!*