Ginger Cookies without Molasses

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Ingredients

  • 2 cups whole grain flour see notes*
  • 2 ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup brown sugar
  • 7 tablespoon unsalted butter room temperature
  • 2 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoon granulated sugar

Preparation

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
  2. In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, cream together ¾ cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter for about 2 minutes. Add in honey, vanilla, and egg. Mix until well combined, about 1-2 minutes.
  3. Add half of the flour mixture into the butter mixture, and beat on low for 30 seconds. Add remaining flour mixture and beat until completely incorporated, but don’t over-mix.
  4. Wrap dough in wax paper or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or over night if possible.
  5. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F.
  6. Put remaining 3 tablespoon sugar in a small bowl. Take tablespoon sized pieces of dough and roll them into balls. Then roll those into the sugar. 
  7. Put cookies about 2 inches apart on baking sheets, press down, and transfer to a preheated oven. Bake for 8-11 minutes until lightly browned. Let cool on pan for 5 minutes then transfer to cooling racks or plate to cool completely. Enjoy!

Notes


*White whole wheat flour and whole wheat pastry flour work well. Do not use regular whole wheat flour. Another option is all-purpose flour, and you can use gluten-free all-purpose flour too. Whatever flour choice you make, use 2 cups flour.

*Dark brown sugar will give the deepest flavor, but light brown sugar works just as well.

*Any type of honey is fine.

*You can skip rolling the cookies in extra sugar if desired. You can also sprinkle with color sugar, or do both. 

*The cookies will not flatten much in the oven, so press them down to your desired thinness. The thinner you press the cookies, the shorter your bake time will be.

*I prefer a shorter bake time so they are softer. But since ovens differ, check after 8 minutes and bake longer if desired. Also, leaving them on the baking sheet helps them get crispier if you want.

*Store in airtight containers at room temperature for up to 5 days.

Source: Living We’ll Kitchen – Ginger Cookies Without Molasses