Spicy Chewy Gingersnaps

Hi guys!

Soo, with Christmas arriving a lot faster than I thought and the weather cooling continually, I have been in the mood for a few wintery snacks and I am a huge fan of baking with ginger, as you may know from erlier posts. I found this recipe for gingersnaps in Cynthia Barcomi's "I love baking". There is something about cookies, rolling dough and looking at them while baking in the oven that's almost meditating to me. I simply love it. So here is the recipe for you all to share my excitement:

325g (2 cups + 1 tablespoon; 11.5 oz) plain flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons powdered ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt

125g (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
200g (1 cup; 7 oz) granulated sugar
60ml (4 tablespoons) sugar beet syrup or golden syrup
2 tablespoons honey
1 egg

optional:
150g (5 oz) candied ginger, chopped
150g (5 oz) dark chocolate, chopped

1) Preheat the oven to 185°C (365°F). Line a baking tin with baking paper. 

2) Beat the softened butter for about 2 minutes until it starts to lighten. Add the sugar and beat for another 5 minutes until light and fluffy. Add the syrup, honey and the egg and beat for a few more minutes. 

3) Add the dry ingredients, flour, baking soda and spices, and mix until a dough forms. If using the ginger or chocolate, fold them in. 

4) Put teaspoons of dough on the baking paper and do not press them down. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until the cookies have turned golden brown. Let them cool on a cooling rack.

Yield: 36 according to Cynthia, I ended up with 48 cookies using dessert spoons for measuring the dough.
Active preparation time: about 30 minutes 
Total preparation time: about 60 minutes (if you need 3 turns baking the cookies)
© Copyright: Cynthia Barcomi, "I love Baking", p. 131

Here's how mine turned out:

I love the spicy note these cookies have. The ginger, cinnamon and cloves make a great spicy combination and are perfect when combined with sweet cookie dough. I did not add either candied ginger nor chopped chocolate because I wanted to try the plain dough and spice combination, but I would imagine pieces of candied ginger to work beautifully. 

Have fun trying!