I bought some crystalized ginger one day and determined they were a bit strong to eat on their own, so I searched for recipes that contained crystalized ginger when I found this one. One of the reviews said it was entered into a holiday bake and won first prize. I just had to check it out on my own. Wow, what a hit for everyone that tried them!
The original recipe calls for 11 to 14 minutes in the oven, but after making several batches, I found that 10 minutes is perfect for my oven. It leaves them a little soft in the middle so you don’t feel like you’re eating a rock. They just melt in your mouth with a great flavor.
Yield 6 dozen
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 ¾ cups granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup more for coating
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- ½ cup molasses
- 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 4 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- ½ teaspoon cardamom
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375° F (190C). Cream the butter and 1 3/4 cups sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed.
- Lower to medium and add the eggs, molasses, vinegar, and vanilla.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and pepper. With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Beat until incorporated. Fold in the crystallized ginger.
- Divide the dough into 3 equal portions (it will be sticky). Place each portion on a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 12-inch log, 2 inches in diameter.
- Wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Slice each log into disks, 1/2 inch thick. Dredge in the remaining sugar. Place on a parchment- or foil-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake until crinkly around the edges, about 10 to 11 minutes. Let cool on sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer to wire racks.