How to Bake Everything

Gingersnaps

Makes: About 4 dozen

Time: About 40 minutes, plus time to chill

Not too sweet—in fact, bordering on savory—these gingersnaps are super-crisp, although they’re also good sliced thicker and undercooked a bit. Try them with Vanilla Buttercream, Cream Cheese Frosting, or Orange Glaze.

2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup molasses
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
3¼ cups flour
1 heaping tablespoon ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt

1. Cream together the butter, molasses, and sugars in a large bowl until smooth.

2. Combine the flour, spices, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating well between additions. Shape the dough into 2 logs about 2 inches in diameter, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Heat the oven to 350°F. Slice the cookies as thinly as you can, about ⅛ inch thick, and put on ungreased baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until the edges are crisp, watching carefully to prevent burning. Let cool on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer the cookies to wire racks to finish cooling. These will keep in an airtight container for 3 or 4 days.

MOLASSES-SPICE COOKIES Add ½ teaspoon nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon allspice, and ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves along with the ginger and cinnamon.

GINGERBREAD MEN For softer cookies, remove them from the oven when the centers are still puffy and soft: Shape the dough into 2 disks and remove from the refrigerator about 15 minutes before rolling; heat the oven. When the dough is slightly softened, roll it out as thinly as possible; use a cookie cutter to cut out the gingerbread man or hand-cut the shapes if you’re brave. Bake as directed, then cool. Decorate, if you like, with small candies and Vanilla Glaze or Royal Icing.

GINGER ALE COOKIES Extra-chewy with a different kind of ginger flavor: Melt the butter and let it cool slightly before adding the sugars and molasses. Increase the ginger to 1½ tablespoons. Beat in 2 eggs, then alternately add the dry ingredients and ½ cup ginger ale. Add ¼ cup chopped candied ginger if you like. Form the dough into 2 disks, refrigerate for at least 2 hours, and bake tablespoon-size balls on greased baking sheets.

MOCHA SPICE SNAPS Chocolate and espresso may not be obvious complements to ginger, but they’re wonderful together: Decrease the flour to 3 cups and add ½ cup cocoa powder to the dry ingredients along with 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder.

MAPLE SNAPS Substitute maple syrup for the molasses and increase the brown sugar to 1 cup. Omit the granulated sugar. Form the dough into 2 disks and chill until firm, then roll the dough out to ⅛ to ¼ inch thick and cut into circles with a cookie cutter or a glass.

CAKEY GINGER COOKIES Slice the cookie dough ⅓ inch thick. Remove from the oven after about 7 minutes, when they are still puffy in the middle.

PFEFFERNüSSE That’s “peppernuts” in German, for the ground almond and black pepper they contain, a traditional and beloved combination of sweet and savory heat: Decrease the molasses to ½ cup and add ½ cup honey; add 2 eggs to the butter mixture in Step 1. Decrease the flour to 3 cups and add ½ cup almond flour; for spices, decrease the cinnamon and ginger to 1½ teaspoons each and add 2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon ground cloves, and ¼ teaspoon nutmeg. Leave the dough in the bowl, cover, and chill; to bake, scoop the dough out and roll it by hand into balls about 1 inch across. If you like, dust the finished cookies with confectioners’ sugar while they’re still warm.

SPECULAAS A spicy and addictively crunchy Dutch variation: Omit the molasses and increase the sugars to 1 cup each. Reduce the flour to 2 cups, the ginger to ½ teaspoon, and the cinnamon to 1 teaspoon. To the flour mixture, add ½ teaspoon white pepper, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg, and ¼ teaspoon cardamom. Shape the dough into 2 disks before refrigerating; remove from the refrigerator and let soften slightly, then roll out to ¼ inch thick. The dough may crumble a bit, but that’s normal. Cut with cookie cutters or by hand.

How to Dress Up Any Cookie

COAT THE DOUGH

How-To

Brush logs of chilled dough with egg white, then roll in any topping, or scoop balls of chilled dough and roll individually.

What You Need

Finely chopped nuts or seeds, cocoa powder, confectioners’ sugar, coarse sugar, cinnamon sugar, sprinkles, shredded unsweetened coconut

Best Cookie to Use

Sugar Cookies, Classic Shortbread, Cornmeal Cookies, Gingersnaps, Chocolate Wafer Cookies, Lemon Thins

CUT THE DOUGH

How-To

Shape the dough into a disk, chill it, then roll it out between pieces of plastic wrap or parchment. Use cookie cutters or a paring knife to cut shapes.

What You Need

Nothing

Best Cookie to Use

Rolled Sugar Cookies, Whole Wheat Digestive Biscuits, Gingerbread Men, Speculaas, Rolled Shortbread

DRIZZLE THE COOKIES