I have really clear memories of trying tea for the first time. My grandparents are British, so of course the afternoon tea is a must, and when I was at their house I would remember hearing the whistle of the kettle and the steam curling up out of the oft used mugs. I guess it was appealing because of the routine. You sat down to watch afternoon TV and have your cup of tea, hopefully with a few biscuits and just enjoy it. A moment of calm in the vastly hectic and crazy day.
I usually just ate the biscuits. Gingersnaps were my favorite. After quite a bit of coaxing I finally, reluctantly dipped my beloved gingersnap into my Grandad’s tea. Had he known what a monster he was creating I am sure he wouldn’t have offered his tea so easily. Soon I was testing how long I could dunk the cookie in the tea without it crumbling away into a soggy mess at the bottom of the piping hot mug. I was never very good at Science.
But that memory is what made me love tea and everything that it represents. These cookies taste like the holidays. They fill your home with the spicy scents of ginger and cloves and freshly baked cookies, the scents that I want, no, that I need to have at this time of year. These cookies remind me of family.
Luckily, Christmas came early this year and I had the Food Blogger Cookie Swap, where I received a dozen cookies from different bloggers right on my doorstep! I also sent three dozen of these Spicy Gingersnaps to three lucky bloggers! Money raised went to Cookies for Kids Cancer and was matched by OXO. What a brilliant way to kick off the giving season!
Hope these cookies warm your bellies this holiday season!
Spicy Gingersnaps
Makes about 4 dozen
4 cups flour
5 tbsp ground ginger
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp milk
turbinado sugar for rolling
Preheat over to 350ºF. Line or grease baking sheets.
In a large mixing bowl sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt and set aside.
Using an electric mixer, mix butter and sugar on medium low 4-5 minutes, until light and creamy. Then add the eggs and mix until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add vanilla and milk and mix well.
Reduce mixer to low add dry ingredients in 3 additions, mixing just until combined.
Scoop dough by the tablespoon and roll into a ball. Then roll in sugar before baking, (optional). Bake on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden.
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