A Very Harry Christmas, Day 3: Chewy Ginger Biscuits

Each Christmas there seems to be a call for some kind of spiced cookie.  Last year I made a graduated star tree out of gingerbread, crackle top molasses cookies and a batch of snickerdoodles.  A little something for everyone.  The molasses were my favorite, the Sprout was in LOVE with the gingerbread and the Mister likes his snickerdoodles every year.  This year I wanted to try to cover all those bases in one cookie.  I knew I had totally lucked out with the HP Cookbook when I came across a recipe for ginger biscuits.  Chewy ginger biscuits....  Soft, just like I love them; filled with ginger flavor just like the Sprout likes them and...lightly dusted with sugar to make for a textured outside just how the Mister enjoys them.  Yay for a cookie that covers ALL of the bases!

Chewy Ginger Biscuits
3 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 T. ground ginger
2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1 large egg
1 egg white
3/4 c. golden syrup or light corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar for dipping the tops of cookies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with rack in the middle position.  

Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.  In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and ginger.  In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter and sugars until light and fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, about 5 minutes.  Add the egg, egg white, and syrup; beat until combined.  Add the flour mixture and stir on the lowest speed until combined.  Scrape the bottom with a rubber spatula to make sure it is fully combined.  

Scoop out balls of dough with a cookie scoop or tablespoon (I used my pampered chef medium scoop).  Form into 1 1/2-inch balls, dough will be very soft.  Roll the balls in sugar.  Place the balls 2-inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Slide parchment paper onto wire racks to cool, do not remove the cookies individually until they cool.  (Be very careful not to over bake these cookies or they will be hard instead of soft and chewy.  The cookies will be very soft when you take them out of the oven; they will set up as they cool.)  It makes about 3-3 1/2 dozen cookies.

These totally hit every note I was hoping for and everyone loves them like I made them just for them.  Don't be fooled or scared by that tablespoon of ginger.  It really turns out much more mild than you'd think.  Give it a whirl...I promise you'll love it!