Ginger-Lemon Cookies

spatchcock's Note:

Another great ginger cookie recipe. I found this a long time ago in an article about all-time best cookies (this one was submitted by a cookie-making all-star named Andrea Gordon.)

• Total Time: 28 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 18 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 28 cookies

• ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature
• 1 cup sugar , divided
• 1 egg
• 2 ¾ teaspoons grated fresh lemon rind
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup flour , plus
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• extra flour , for shaping (Andrea Gordon(she won!)

Directions:

1. Set the oven at 325 degrees.
2. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.
3. In an electric mixer, cream the butter with the 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar.
4. When the mixture is smooth, beat in the egg, lemon rind, and vanilla.
5. Sift the flour, baking powder, ginger, and salt.
6. With the mixer set on its lowest speed, add the dry ingredients to the batter.
7. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or until well chilled.
8. With floured hands, using heaping teaspoons of the dough to form balls, roll them until smooth.
9. Arrange them 2-inches apart on the baking sheets.
10. Put the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar in a bowl.
11. Dip the bottom of a glass first in cold water, then in sugar and press the balls to flatten them to a 1/3-inch thickness.
12. Bake the cookies for 18 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.
13. Cool on wire racks.
14. Store in an airtight container.

Reviews

[In My Tummy!]

These are the best Cookies! I've made them twice this week! I listened to the other reviews and I did add much more lemon zest and ginger than it called for. I used the zest of 2 lemons, and I used 3 tsp. of Ginger. Also, instead of dipping the glass in water, I dipped it in the lemon juice of one of the lemons and then the sugar. It really made all the difference!

[CookswithSpice]

I rate these cookies a 5!!

[lemon-yellow]

I made this recipe twice, because after reading the reviews, I thought I must have made it wrong the first time. However, it came out exactly the same the second time. I expected the cookie to be a bit more substantial in texture and taste. Instead, it is see-through thin, delicate-crumbly and tastes bland. I even doubled the lemon peel and ginger as many of the reviewers suggested. The uncooked dough tastes wonderful. I suspect the flavor dissipates during cooking. It is a bit time consuming to make, taking the refrigeration into account, but I would be fine with that if the results were better. It is doubtful that I will try it again. I posted a photo so that you have some idea of how my batch looks. Thanks for posting, spatchcock. Sorry that I didn't like it more.