During my interview at Chez Panisse, as I sat across the table from Alice Waters in the main dining room at the restaurant, she asked me, “What do you eat at home?”Since I’m not exactly convincing when lying, I told her.“I eat popcorn, mostly.” And continued, “I’m a restaurant cook. I don’t have time to eat at home.”
In spite of that, or because of my chutzpah, I got hired and worked at Chez Panisse, where I stayed a long time. And one of my favorite recipes that I made there was theGingersnaps from The Art of Simple Food.
At first glance, one might think— Who needs this book? But as I turned the pages, I realized that these are recipes for the staples that people could and should learn, and the book is a complete reference for anyone who wants some solid, well-tested basics new dishes to add to one’s repertoire. Unlike larger and bulkier reference tomes, the recipes in The Art of Simple Food are for the way many people cook today and the book is laid out with a simple design to make it very easy for anyone to follow the recipes. It would also make an excellent gift for someone new to cooking who maybe would like to tackle a Caesar Salad or homemade pizza dough but needs a clue as to where to begin.
Most of the recipes have just a few ingredients and if you’re anything like me, you’re often just looking for the basic proportions for things can improvise once you’ve gotten the knack of making it—so I appreciate having a recipe for a basic polenta torta, a stripped-down risotto recipe that lends itself to whatever variation one might choose, and recipes for sauces like spicy harissa, basil pesto (with winter-friendly variations), meaty Bolognese and homemade tartar sauce which would liven up a simple roasted dinner of fish, meat or vegetables.
As I read through the book, not only was I charmed by the simple line drawings by Patty Curtain, but by the friendly, approachable tone of the book. There was no preaching, just gentle guidance on how to coax the best flavors from what’s available, which some of the clearest, easy-to-follow instructions on techniques I’ve seen in a cookbook.
But most importantly, it bears the message the good food doesn’t need to be complicated, expensive, or hard-to-prepare.Some of the recipes I’ve bookmarked are the crispy Fresh-Pickled Vegetables, savory Gougères, Herb-Roasted Almonds, and Sushi Rice, all of which I’ve made over and over again, and they’ve become staples in my kitchen.
Ginger Snaps
From The Art of Simple Food: Notes, Lessons, and Recipes from a Delicious Revolution (Clarkson Potter) by Alice Waters.These cookies get crisp when cool and are great holiday cookies. I like them coated with lots of crystals of coarse sugar, which is called Hawaiian washed sugar in the US, or cassonade here in France. (Coarse sugar is also available online.)You can also rev-up the spices, and add ¼-½ teaspoon ground cardamom, cloves, nutmeg or allspice to suit your taste.
- 2 cups (280g) flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 11 tablespoons (150g) butter, salted or unsalted, at room temperature
- 2/3 cup (130g) sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup 80g) mild-flavored molasses*, (sometimes called 'light' molasses)
- 1 large egg, at room temperature
- my optional step: coarse sugar crystals for coating the cookies
Stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and black pepper.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, or by hand, beat the butter just until soft and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue to beat until smooth, stopping the mixer to scrape down any butter clinging to the sides of the bowl.
Stir in the vanilla, molasses and egg.
Mix in the dry ingredients gradually until the dough is smooth.
Divide the dough in two equal portions and roll each on a lightly-floured surface until each is about 2-inches (5cm) around. Don’t worry if they’re not perfect; you can neaten them up in a second.
Wrap each in plastic wrap then roll them lightly on the counter to smooth them out. Refrigerate, or better yet, freeze the cookie logs until firm.
To bake, preheat the oven to 350F (180C) and line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
Slice cookie dough into 1/4-inch (a scant 1 cm) rounds with a sharp knife. Dip one side and press firmly in a bowl of coarse sugar if you want (you can also use granulated sugar instead), and place
on baking sheet, evenly spaced apart. Leave a couple of inches, about 5 cm, between cookies since they’ll spread while baking.
Bake for 10-14 minutes, rotating the baking sheets midway during baking, until deep golden brown. The cookies will puff up a bit while baking, then settle down when they’re done. Bake on the lower end of the range for softer cookies, and more for snappier ones, depending on your oven.
Let the cookies cool two minutes, then remove them with a spatula and transfer them to a cooling rack.
Notes
Storage: The dough can be refrigerated for up to five days, or frozen for up to three months. Once baked, the cookies can be kept in an air-tight container for a couple of days but like anything made with butter, of course they’re best the day they’re baked.
*Outside the United States, molasses is often found in natural foods stores. For other overseas baking tips, check my post American Baking in Paris.
FAQs
Ginger Snaps are simply a variation of the traditional Gingerbread cookie. They're known for their crisper quality; their “snap” if you will. Introduced in colonial times, the main differences between Gingerbread and Ginger Snaps are a longer bake time for an extra crisp and the use of molasses versus sugar.
What are ginger snap cookies good for? ›
In conclusion, ginger snaps cookies are not only delicious but also have some nutritional benefits. They contain important nutrients like iron, calcium, and fiber. Ginger, the key ingredient in these cookies, is known for its various health benefits, including aiding digestion and reducing inflammation.
What is another name for ginger snap cookies? ›
A gingersnap, ginger snap, ginger nut, or ginger biscuit is a biscuit flavored with ginger. Ginger snaps are flavored with powdered ginger and a variety of other spices, most commonly cinnamon, molasses and clove.
Why are my ginger snap cookies flat? ›
If you use too much butter, the cookies will end up flat and greasy. And if you use too little flour, the amount of butter and sugar will be proportionally too high, meaning the cookies will spread for the aforementioned reasons.
Are molasses cookies the same as gingersnaps? ›
Gingersnaps typically have a crisp, snappy texture and a spicier, more pronounced ginger flavor, while molasses cookies are soft with a deeper, rich molasses flavor.
Why are my ginger cookies so hard? ›
“There are some gingerbread recipes that are hard right after baking and need to sit for a few days to soften. Molasses and honey hardens gingerbread, but as the sugar absorbs moisture, it will get softer.”
Can you eat too many ginger snaps? ›
Ginger is safe to eat daily, but experts recommend limiting yourself to 3 to 4 grams a day — stick to 1 gram daily if you're pregnant. Taking more than 6 grams of ginger a day has been proven to cause gastrointestinal issues such as reflux, heartburn and diarrhea.
Are ginger cookies good for arthritis? ›
Some studies suggest it may also help arthritis pain and inflammation, although findings can be contradictory — even when researchers use the same data. A case in point: Three studies from a systematic literature review found that ginger relieved osteoarthritis (OA) pain better than placebo.
Do ginger snaps help your stomach? ›
Ginger. Capsules of powdered ginger have been found to reduce nausea and vomiting. You could also try a cup of ginger tea, a glass of ginger ale (some people swear it works better if it's flat), a few gingersnap cookies, or a piece of ginger candy.
What are ginger snaps called in England? ›
Ginger Nut Biscuits and Ginger Snap Cookies, Ginger Snap Biscuits and Ginger Snaps are all exactly the same things. New Zealand and Australia call them Ginger Nut Biscuits, America calls them Ginger Snap Cookies and Britain calls them GInger Snap biscuits (but also Ginger Nuts too!!).
Speculoos, the cookie family to which Biscoff belong, are often described as a type of gingerbread, but that's a little misleading. Aside from their use of caramel sugar, speculoos don't have quite the same bite; their spice blend tends toward aroma rather than heat.
What ethnicity is Ginger Snap? ›
Her exact ethnicity is unknown. She might be of Indian or Middle Eastern descent, for in the Thanksgiving book, she wears a blouse similar to Indian/Middle Eastern attire.
What is the secret ingredient to keep cookies soft? ›
Light corn syrup is another ingredient that you can add to cookie dough that will help it stay softer longer. The corn syrup you buy at the grocery store is not the high-fructose corn syrup that soft drinks are made with; it's a sugar that is liquid at room temperature and helps other sugars say liquid at high heat.
Why don't my ginger cookies crackle on the top? ›
Not enough leavening (it needs to be strong enough to crack the top once it's set) Using a single-acting baking powder (double acting gives extra rise when it gets heated) Not creaming the fat long enough (creaming cuts little air pockets into the fat, which means the leavening has to do less work)
Why are my ginger snaps puffy? ›
Q: Why are my cookies so puffy and cakey? Whipping too much air into the dough. That fluffy texture you want in a cake results from beating a lot of air into the room temperature butter and sugar, and it does the same for cookies. So don't overdo it when you're creaming together the butter and sugar.
Are gingernut biscuits and ginger snaps the same? ›
In North America these cookies are usually called gingersnaps but in Australia and New Zealand they are called ginger nuts.
What is the difference between ginger snaps and spiced wafers? ›
The spiced wafer is like the gingersnap, except it includes other non-ginger spices like clove and cinnamon, as well as real blackstrap molasses. They're also baked longer than regular cookies, so they're extra crunchy.
Are spiced wafers the same as ginger snaps? ›
We'll let you in on a Philadelphia secret: you've never tasted anything quite like a Spiced Wafer. It's crunchier than the average cookie. It has more complex flavors than a ginger snap. Once you try it, you'll look for our black-and-orange box as soon as the leaves begin to change.
Is ginger nut same as gingersnap? ›
Homemade Ginger Nuts (Ginger Snaps) With their fiery flavour and tooth-breaking crunch, ginger nuts – sometimes known as 'snaps' – regularly come top of 'dunkability' experiments. If you don't have a cup of tea to hand but prefer something softer, a shop-bought ginger nut can be gently warmed in the oven or microwave.
