Orange Ginger Creams

Gingersnaps

• 2 cups unsifted all purpose flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon ground ginger

• ½ teaspoon ground cloves

• ¾ cup butter

• ¾ cup granulated sugar

• ¼ cup molasses

• 1 large egg

On sheet of waxed paper, combine dry ingredients and set aside.

In medium saucepan, melt ¾ cup butter. Remove from heat; stir in sugar and molasses until sugar dissolves. Beat in egg until blended; stir in flour mixture until dry ingredients are moistened. Transfer to sealed container; store in refrigerator overnight.

Preheat oven to 375°. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

Form rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into 1 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 8 minutes, or until golden brown; flatten cookies with spatula. Cool a few minutes on sheets on wire rack; remove cookies to wire rack to Allow to cool on cookie sheets

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Filling

• 2 ¼ cups confectioners sugar

• ¼ cup crystallized ginger

• ½ cup butter or margarine, cut in pieces

• 2 tablespoons orange marmalade

In food processor, process confectioners sugar with crystallized ginger until ginger is minced. Add butter and marmalade, process till smooth.

Spread rounded teaspoonful of orange cream onto flat side of half the cookies. Top with remaining cookies, flat side in.

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Field Notes: This recipe comes from the February 1990 issue of McCall’s magazine. It’s been one of my favorites since I tore the page out and saved it. Full disclosure, I’ve only made the gingersnaps twice - the first time was 32 years ago when I had four young kids underfoot, at which point the time-cost/benefit analysis suggested store-bought gingersnaps were the way to go. If you choose that route - they’re better the next day after being stored in the fridge. The cream filling and cold storage softens the gingersnaps a bit. I have also made them using my Mom’s Spice Cookies.

The second time I followed the recipe was last weekend. I found it super easy, in an empty nester sort of way, and they came out like Baby Bear’s porridge...just right. Don’t be scared of going old school - it will be my preferred method moving forward.

When I first made the filling, I had a more powerful food processor and it worked like a dream. Until it was time to clean the food processor, anyway. Last weekend I used my tired little mini processor only to mince the ginger with a cup of the confectioners’ sugar, then transferred it all to my mixer to add butter and marmalade. Next time I’m going to finely chop the ginger the old-fashioned way, use a mix of butter and cream cheese and orange zest and freshly squeezed juice in place of the marmalade. Or maybe lemon juice and zest.

And if I actually do any of that…I’ll update these notes.

Yield: the recipe says 28 filled cookies, I got 22. I weighed the dough for each cookie (17g each) and they are about 2 ¾” in diameter.

Freezing: They are a fabulous frozen treat. Will update on how well they survive the thawing process, when/if they are allowed to thaw.

the ninety cookie club:

orange ginger creams

week eleven

The OG of Orange-Cream Gingersnaps

McCall’s, February 1990, page 108

I renamed them Orange Ginger Creams because it seemed less awkward and at least as accurate.

the life cycle of a cookie

counterclockwise from upper left, dough (yes, it was good), baking cookies, baked gingersnaps…one in front gave it up for quality assurance

(I should probably clean my oven.)

Raspberry Crumble Jam Bars*

• 1/2 pound unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 2 - 1/3 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

• 10 to 12 ounces good raspberry jam

• 2/3 cup good granola without dried fruit

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and mix on medium speed just until combined. With the mixer on low, add the vanilla.

Sift the flour and salt together and, with the mixer on low, slowly add to the butter mixture, mixing until it almost comes together in a ball. Turn the dough out on a board. Lightly pat two-thirds of the dough evenly on the bottom of a 9-inch square baking pan and about 1/4-inch up the sides. Spread with the jam, leaving a 1/4-inch border. Mix the granola into the remaining dough with your hands. Break the dough into small bits and distribute it on top of the jam, covering most of the surface. Sprinkle the almonds on top. Bake the bars for 45 minutes, until lightly browned.

Cool completely and cut into 9 or 12 bars.

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*This Ina Garten recipe can be found on barefootcontessa.com and foodnetwork.com - the FoodNetwork includes a video of Ina throwing this together. I omitted the brand of jam - Hero, because I’d never heard of it and didn’t see it in my store - and the confectioners’ sugar, which although nice for a photo op, seemed like gilding the lily.

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tjc notes : I had never made shortbread before, so obviously waited until it was in the oven before doing any research. Just as well, because I found a lot of conflicting information. I followed Ina’s instructions, and though my dough did not stick together the way hers did, I pressed on.

I didn’t love them the day I made them and thought I’d never make them again.

I changed my mind after testing the two freezer specimens the following day. The first bar was a delicious frozen treat, the other was a testament to my self control - I waited until it had not only thawed, but reached room temperature before consuming. I wished I had frozen more.

I called my mother-in-law to let her know that they freeze well, but she assured me that was not going to be an issue at her house.

Here’s are things I did…and what I’ll do differently next time:

• Ina did not include instructions for prepping the pan, I lined mine with parchment paper.

• Next time I’ll get myself a 9” square pan. The additional 17 square inches over my 8” pan would have made a thinner shortbread layer.

• Next time, I’ll save time by picking up some ready made granola. Although I have so much from the batch I made I’m not likely to need it for a couple of years.

• I didn’t use sliced almonds because I needed chopped almonds for the granola - the aesthetics of a sliced almond weren’t worth a bag of them. I bought whole almonds thinking I’d chop them in my mini food processor. My mini food processor thought otherwise. I chopped the old fashioned way and got some aggression out.

• I was getting nervous about the baking time and took the pan out after 35 minutes - not Ina’s recommended 45. My edges were browned just as Ina’s were - but it was too brown for me, and they were hard - I trimmed them off. If I get the 9” pan, I will take them out when the jam is bubbling and the shortbread edges are lightly browned, probably about 30 minutes.
  
  

raspberry crumble jam bars

the ninety cookie club, week ten

shortbread and jam waiting to be topped off

my shortbread dough was very crumbly - mixed well with the granola

Date Bars

Date Filling

• 3 cups chopped pitted dates (1 lb)

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1/4 cup granulated sugar

Bars

• 1 cup packed brown sugar

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats

• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

In 2-quart saucepan, cook filling ingredients over low heat about 10 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool 5 minutes.

Heat oven to 400°F. Grease bottom and sides of 13x9-inch pan with shortening.

In large bowl, stir brown sugar and butter until well mixed. Stir in flour, oats, baking soda and salt until crumbly. Press half of the crumb mixture evenly in bottom of pan. Spread with filling. Top with remaining crumb mixture; press lightly.

Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until light brown. Cool 5 minutes in pan on cooling rack. Cut into 6 rows by 6 rows while warm.

NOTES: This recipe was lifted from Betty Crocker. I opted to line my 9 x 13 pan with parchment paper instead of greasing it with shortening. Worked great. Saw a few reviews that said they left sugar out of the filling and I think I will try that the next time, too. They were so good, I’m sure we won’t miss it.

date bars

the ninety cookie club, week six

(didn’t have a great picture of the date bars, so I used one of this sweet cookie)

Lemon Crinkle Cookies

• ½ cups butter softened

• 1 cup granulated sugar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 large egg

• zest of two lemons

• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

• ¼ teaspoon salt

• ¼ teaspoon baking powder

• ⅛ teaspoon baking soda

• 1 ½ cups all purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with parchment paper. Strong recommend for T-Fal AirBake cookie sheets.

Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in vanilla, egg, lemon zest and juice. Scrape sides and mix again.

Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder until just combined. Scrape sides of the bowl and mix again briefly.

Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on the baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.

Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown and cookies look matte {not melty or shiny}. Remove from oven and cool cookies about 3 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes: I found this recipe at Lauren’s Latest and modified it by increasing the lemon zest (I am lemon-obsessed), the original called for one teaspoon of zest and eliminating rolling cookie dough pieces in powdered sugar. The first time because I didn’t have any and subsequent times because…why more sugar and more work since I loved them as they were.

I have baked on both standard and AirBake cookie sheets and get a better outcome (more even baking and color) with the AirBake.

lemon crinkle cookies

all dressed up and ready to go

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

• 3/4 cup shortening

• 1 cup sugar

• 2 eggs

• 1/3 cup milk

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup + 2 tablespoons flour

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 3 cups oats

• 1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream shortening and sugar; beat in eggs, one at a time. Sift together flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; mix into sugar and egg mixture alternately with milk. Mix in vanilla. Stir in oats and raisins.

Drop by spoonful on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes, taking care not to overbake.

Notes: I often do a mix of shortening and softened butter. Next time I’m going to try all butter to see if it makes a less cake-like cookie. Will update notes when I do.

oatmeal raisin

the ninety cookie club, week four

Brownie Bites

• King Arthur Gluten Free Brownie Mix

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare mini muffin tins with nonstick baking spray.

Prepare mix as directed. Carefully measure one tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin tin. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, toothpick inserted in center should have moist crumbs but not raw batter.

Notes: we don’t have any gluten sensitivities, but this is the best brownie mix I’ve ever tasted - moist and seriously fudgy. Take care not to over fill the muffin tins or you’ll have brownies erupting all over. Sure, you get to eat the rejects, but it’s next to impossible to remove the bites from the pan intact and more work to clean up.

brownie bites

the ninety cookie club, week three

Spice Cookies

• 6 tablespoons shortening

• 6 tablespoons butter, softened

• 1 cup sugar

• 1 egg

• 1/4 cup molasses

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons baking soda

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1 teaspooon cinnamon

• 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cream together shortening, butter and sugar. Add egg and molasses. Sift together and stir in dry ingredients. Using a small cookie scoop or teaspoons, form balls (about 20 grams each) and place 2” apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes - do not overbake!

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. I swear, I’ll keep track the next time I make them.

Notes: Original recipe from my mother appears below. I started using a mix of shortening and sugar to get the best of both worlds. I like to measure the dough out to insure uniform cookie size, then roll lightly in gloved hands to keep them round.

spice cookies

the ninety cookie club, week two

copied from my mom’s cookbook back in the ‘80s.

Coconut Macaroons

• 14 ounces sweetened shredded coconut

• 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk

• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 2 extra-large egg whites, at room temperature

• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Combine the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whip the egg whites and salt on high speed in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until they make medium-firm peaks. Carefully fold the egg whites into the coconut mixture. Drop the batter onto sheet pans lined with parchment paper using either a 1 3/4-inch diameter ice cream scoop, or 2 teaspoons. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until golden brown. Cool and serve.

Notes: Recipe by Ina Garten at the FoodNetwork.com

coconut macaroons

the ninety cookie club, week one