TWD: Baking with Julia - Gingersnaps

This is the Baking with Julia version of Gingersnaps.  

WARNING:  This blog post will break one of my rules about reviewing recipes - don't critique a recipe if you have changed it up and don't like it.  You didn't actually try the recipe so you shouldn't critique it.  This is one of my rules and I am breaking it right now for this recipe.  There are reasons that I tried to jazz up this recipe!  I checked out the comments on the TWD blog from people who had already baked the cookies, and the overall consensus was that there was not enough ginger, that the cookie dough was way too sticky, and that the cookies did not "snap".  So, here is my thoughts on this cookie for whatever it is worth!

Personally, I don't recommend this recipe.  Sorry.  I just have this idea that gingersnaps should have two basic components:

(1) they should contain ginger

(2) they should snap after baking, as in crunch

Ginger and Snap.  Shouldn't be that unusual of a requirement, right?

But evidently it is, at least for this particular recipe. Yes, the recipe DID call for ginger, but only 1/8 TEASPOON!  Seriously.  Only 1/8 teaspoon ginger for GINGERsnap cookies?  I quadrupled the ginger in my cookies, adding 1/2 teaspoon instead.  I also doubled the cinnamon, as this recipe only called for 1/8 teaspoon of that as well.  I guess they could have just as easily called them Cinnamon-snap cookies?  Ugh.

To try to combat the stickiness, I also reduced the amount of water in the dough.  The recipe called for 1 1/2 tablespoons, so I added just 1 tablespoon instead.  The dough was not overly sticky, so maybe that actually helped!

But the cookie doesn't actually snap.  It is crunchy around the edges but soft in the middle.  There is a molasses glaze that is brushed on the cookie just before baking.  Maybe the glaze prevents some of the snap??  The addition of extra spices helped, as the flavor isn't bad, though still I wouldn't necessarily call this cookie a gingersnap.

Oh, and I didn't do the roll and cut-out version of cookies either.  I refrigerated the dough in a log and did a slice and bake method instead.  The recipe makes an amazingly small quantity of dough (2 dozen 2-inch cookies).  I didn't think it was worth rolling out this tiny amount of dough and getting out my massive quantity of cookie cutters (I have a ridiculous amount really - I have sworn off buying any more for a very long time) to pick out which few I could actually use.  I will probably make a different recipe for actual gingerbread cookies.  This just wasn't it.

I am curious to see if anyone in the baking group had a different (aka "better") experience with these cookies.  To find out yourself, check out the TWD blog and see what the other bakers thought!

Oh, and in case you are interested in the recipe, you can find it here.