Today is National Cupcake Day and I’m celebrating by sharing a cookie recipe… oops? :P
Last week, my roommate and I attended a cookie swap—it’s just what it sounds like!—hosted by Serious Eats at a brewery in Brooklyn. I spent the better part of a month debating on what kind of cookie I would prepare and bring since, naturally one would want to bring only the A-game to a cookie swap that would undoubtedly be attended by a flood of foodies!
I knew I wanted an element of the holidays and immediately thought of pistachio and craisins for a beautiful green-red Christmas-y festive feel. Sugar cookie? Perhaps to plain. Nougat? Not quite a cookie. But following my first foray into the wondrous world of brown butter a couple weeks back, and the delightful smell of ginger after engineering this seasonal architectural masterpiece, I was drawn to the timeless gingersnap. But dressed with a bit of festive flare coated in dipped white chocolate and chopped pistachios and craisins.
This was the first time I made gingersnap cookies from scratch so with the help of a trusty Google search and a recipe from a fellow blogger, my roommate and I arrived to the cookie swap happily presenting over 6 dozen of these fragrant and picturesque bad boys! Someone even told me “they taste like Christmas!”
Recipe below… but remember to drop by again soon as the December flavor of the month in the A Year in Macarons series is on its way! Any guesses on what that flavor might be?! Let me know your guesses or other cookie thoughts in the comments below :)
-E
- 2/3 c butter, browned and melted
- 1 c dark brown sugar, packed
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 c molasses
- 2-1/4 c all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1-1/4 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp ginger
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1/4 c granulated sugar, for rolling
- 3/4 c white chocolate chips
- 1 teaspoon coconut oil
- 1/2 c shelled pistachios, salted, roasted, chopped
- 1/4 c craisins, separated (they tend to clump together)
- Brown butter in a small skillet over med heat until melted and starting to bubble; stir continuously until until butter mixture appears to brown (there will also be a toffee-like, carmel-like aroma) and take off heat. Let slightly cool and pour into mixing bowl.
- In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt; whisk through dry ingredients.
- With an electric or stand mixer with paddle attachment, mix together the melted brown butter and brown sugar until well incorporated.
- Mix in the egg, vanilla, and molasses until well incorporated. It may take several minutes on a medium speed, but there will be an almost creamy-like smooth texture.
- In thirds, add in the dry flour mixture and mix into molasses mixture on a low speed until everything has been thoroughly combined.
- The batter will feel thin and runny for cookie dough; pop it in the refrigerator to chill (20-30 mins).
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove chilled dough from refrigerator.
- Form dough into balls (roughly the size of a golf ball) then roll in sugar and place on lined cookie sheet, at least 1 inch apart. I slightly flattened them onto the sheet.
- Bake 10-12 minutes and remove from oven to slightly cool. Transfer to wire rack to cool completely when cookie has stiffened.
- Prepare a flat surface with wax paper and ensure cookies are completely cooled.
- In a wide-rimmed mug (I used my favorite 4"-diameter coffee mug) heat white chocolate and coconut oil in a microwave until chocolate is melted and smooth. Stop every 15-30 seconds to stir; 90-120 seconds.
- Dip half of each cookie into the white chocolate mug, scrape the excess chocolate against the side of the mug; lay on the wax paper.
- Press a few craisins (3-5) onto the white chocolate then sprinkle with chopped pistachios to cover the "naked" patches; lightly press pistachios into chocolate to ensure a strong bond when dried.
- Wait until chocolate has set, or quicken the setting process by chilling in the refrigerator for a few minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Each batch yields roughly yields 30 cookies (golf ball sized portions)--- For reference, I ended up with 94 cookies from a triple batch for the cookie swap!
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