It’s officially the first day of summer and we have a perfect 75 degrees here with a beautiful clear blue sky:) On Father’s day my husband barbecued some steaks, and with it we had a green salad, potato salad, beans and garlic bread. Pretty yummy, but the best was yet to come…dessert!
I decided to make ice cream sandwiches using two types of cookies to sandwich the vanilla bean ice cream. My husband’s favorite cookie is ginger, so it was the perfect opportunity to use “The Best Ginger Cookies Ever” recipe from one of my newer cookbook purcahses, Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado (to avoid slaughtering the correct pronunciation of her first name, click here).
My cookies did not turn out as beautifully as Gesine’s, but actually their outcome( a bit on the flat side) worked out well for ice cream sandwiches, and their taste was delicious! Jim loved them! I saved some of the cookies to use as the crust for a future treat:)
I also made some oatmeal raisin cookies, but will spotlight the ginger cookies for now.
The Best Ginger Cookies Ever
(From the book, Sugar Baby by Gesine Bullock-Prado)
Ingredients
2 cups unsalted butter, room temperature 2/3 cup granulated sugar 1 cup brown sugar, packed 3/4 cups molasses 2 eggs 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking soda 2 tablespoons ground ginger 2 teaspoons cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground cloves 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 cup chopped crystallized ginger (I only had 1/2 cup on hand) 1 cup sanding sugar
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, white sugar, brown sugar, and molasses until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, incorporating well after each addition.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. With the mixer on low speed, gently add the flour mixture until just incorporated. Be very careful not to overmix. Fold in the crystallized ginger and chill the dough, covered, for a few hours or overnight. ( I chilled the dough overnight.)
- Using a large cookie scoop, scoop the cookies and dip them in sanding sugar so that they are completely coated. Place the cookies on a parchment-lined sheet pan, spacing them 2 inches apart to allow for spreading. (Stoneware baking sheets were used~no parchment needed).
- Bake for about 15 minutes. The cookies will crack a bit but should still be soft in the middle. Place on wire racks to cool. Makes about 30 cookies. (My oven took about 18 minutes.)
This treat is a good way to celebrate summer, especially with the ginger cookies~chewy, flavorful and yummy!
P.S. The cute little ice cream sandwich bags are from Sweet Art Factory.
Enjoy your summer!
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