We recently had our grandchildren staying with us here in Umbria for over two weeks, and those kids love to snack! Luckily I prepared ahead of time before they arrived, and had four or five quick breads and a couple of batches of muffins in the freezer. It didn’t take long however before the kids ate through these and were looking for something else.

I have had a recipe for ginger cookies in my files for over a year but just never got around to trying it out. I am a little hesitant about baking any type of spice cookie as I love anything with cinnamon and ginger in it, and I did not want the temptation in the house. Having three hungry kids around seemed the perfect time to make these cookies, and this recipe does make a lot!

A couple of these rich spice cookies are the perfect accompaniment to my afternoon cup of espresso, and the entire family gave them a thumbs up. Cinnamon, cloves and a good deal of ginger really give these cookies a punch of flavor, and the addition of molasses adds a delicious richness.

I used butter instead of shortening as we do not have shortening available here in Italy, only lard. I also used white faro flour in place of all-purpose flour as I am trying to add some nutrition to all of my baking. Unfortunately this recipe does include a good deal of sugar which is something I’ll address the next time I make these cookies, and try reducing the amount of sugar used and maybe substituting coconut palm sugar instead.

I have learned through trial and error that when I replace too many ingredients in any given recipe at one time, I often end up with a disaster, so this time I replaced the flour and shortening. I like my cookies to have a crisp edge and chewy interior, so I baked them for the full 14 minutes. If you want a softer cookie, bake remove them from the oven a minute or two earlier.

Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 

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Chewy Ginger Cookies

Yield: Makes About 2 Dozen

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 14 minutes

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Ingredients

• 4 1/2 Cups White Farro Flour
• 4 Teaspoons Ground Ginger
• 2 Teaspoons Baking Soda
• 2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
• 1 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
• 1/2 Teaspoon Salt
• 1 1/2 Cups Butter At Room Temperature
• 1 Cups White Sugar
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar
• 2 Eggs At Room Temperature
• 1/2 Cup Molasses
• 3/4 Cup Sugar For Rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
3. In one bowl, stir together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.
4. In another bowl, beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
5. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then add the molasses.
6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and then beat just until mixed.
7. Roll pieces of dough into 2 inch balls, then roll them in the remaining sugar.
8. Place the balls on the baking sheets 2 1/2 inches apart and bake for 12 to 14 minutes.
9. Cool 10 minutes and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.
10. Store in an airtight container.

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