Recipe, notes, and photos by An Tâm Võ. Makes ~20 cookies.
These cookies are perfectly zingy thanks to a generous amount of the Sparrow Ginger. I love how chewy ginger molasses cookies are, so here is my take using something else I regularly make at home – nước màu.
You can use any cookie cutter you have on hand, I just used my flower ones and decorated little snowflakes on top for a festive flare. Hope you enjoy making and eating these during the holidays! (Or whenever really).
NƯỚC MÀU GINGER
½ cup sugar ¼ cup hot water 2 tablespoons Sparrow Ginger
GINGERBREAD COOKIE DOUGH
2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour ½ cup packed dark brown sugar ¾ teaspoon baking soda ½ tablespoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon cardamom ½ teaspoon salt 1 ¼ stick of butter (150 g), room temperature Nước màu + ginger 2 tablespoons milk
LEMON ICING
1 cup powdered sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice ½ teaspoon vanilla
MAKE THE NƯỚC MÀU GINGER
Add sugar to a pan on medium heat. Stir the sugar from time to time as to not burn the sugar. It will take 8-10 minutes for the sugar to caramelize.
When the sugar gets dark brown, close to a maple syrup color, remove from heat. Carefully set the pot in the sink and and pour in the ¼ cup of hot water. Be careful as the sugar mixture may sputter and splash. Stir to combine. Then stir in the 2 tablespoons of Sparrow Ginger, so the aromatics can bloom. Don’t worry if it clumps up when you add in the ginger. If this happens just put the pot back on low heat and stir until the mixture is de-clumped. Set aside.
MAKE THE GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment, mix the flour, dark brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, and salt until combined.
Add the butter and mix until just combined into a sandy mixture, about 1 minute.
Add the nước màu ginger and milk then mix until combined, another minute.
Transfer the dough out of the mixer and wrap in plastic wrap. Let rest in the fridge for 1 hour.
After the dough has rested for 1 hour in the fridge, preheat your oven to 350°F.
Remove dough from fridge and roll out to ¼” thick slab. If it is too cold to roll out immediately, wait for ~20 minutes. Cut out your cookies with your preferred cookie cutters. Remove excess dough and form into a ball to be rolled out again and cut.
Arrange the cookies at least ¼” away from each other, they will puff and expand while baking. Put them in the freezer for 20 minutes.
After flash freezing the cookies, pop them in the oven for 10-12 minutes. They will look very pillowy when you remove them from the oven but will set at room temperature. Let cool before icing.
MAKE THE LEMON ICING
Whisk together all the ingredients sugar, lemon juice, and vanilla. It should form a ribbony consistency. If it’s too thick, and a little splash of water. If it’s too thin, add a tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time and whisk until you achieve your desired consistency.
Pour into a piping bag and decorate your cookies! 😊
