I saw Coleen’s post on Monday for her delicious-looking cupcakes, and I could almost taste them!  She used molasses, which got me thinking about that dark, almost smoky-sweet flavor.  I knew what I wanted – ginger snaps!  So I poked around online, found a recipe I liked, modified it for my house, and voila:  Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps!

These go great with milk for the kids, or coffee for grown-ups.  Heck, get a double dose of spicy and have these cookies with a chai latte!  There are plenty of pantry staple spices here, but the two kickers are molasses and candied ginger.  Check in the dried fruit section of the store.  I keep my candied ginger in the freezer – it will keep indefinitely (and if it’s out of sight, I won’t eat the whole bag in one sitting!)  I like to have it in the house because a big bite of it can calm a nauseous tummy.

If you have a cookie exchange this season, wow them with these boldly flavored cookies.  Your friends will thank you!

Whole Wheat Ginger Snaps

Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon garam masala (or use 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves and 1/4 teaspoon finely ground pepper)
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 1/4 sticks butter, room temperature
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup candied ginger, minced

Directions:

1. First, put the butter in a large bowl and let it come to room temperature.  Put the egg next to it.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour with the baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, and garam masala.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter with the brown sugar.  Mix in the egg and molasses.  Add in the minced candied ginger.
4. A little at a time, mix the flour mixture into the butter mixture.  Refrigerate for one hour.
5. Preheat the oven to 350*F.  On a Silpat liner or parchment paper, scoop out teaspoon-sized balls of cookie dough.  These will spread out, so give them some room.  I used a melon baller and it worked well.  Bake for 13 minutes.
6. Let cool on the cookie sheet for a minute, then remove to a wire cooling rack.
7. Don’t let the kids see these before dinner or you will be pestered until it’s time for dessert.

Explore, experiment, enjoy! — Dana

To view even more of Dana’s unique recipe, you can visit her at Frugal Girlmet!