Photo of Old-Fashioned Ginger Cookies by WW

Old-Fashioned Ginger Cookies

3
Points® value
Total Time
40 min
Prep
30 min
Cook
10 min
Serves
36
Difficulty
Easy
For these easy ginger cookies, which feature both grated fresh ginger and ground ginger, you can use either light or dark molasses, but not blackstrap. Don't know the difference? Light molasses comes from the first boiling of the sugar syrup and has a mild flavor and is light colored. Dark molasses comes from the second boiling and is thicker, darker, and not as sweet. It's usually used for gingerbread, ginger cookies, and Indian pudding. Choose between the two of them depending on how sweet you want your cookies to be. Blackstrap molasses comes from the third boiling; it is very dark, very thick, and somewhat bitter.

Ingredients

Whole wheat pastry flour

2 cup(s)

Baking soda

1 tsp(s)

Ground cinnamon

1 tsp(s)

Ground ginger

1 tsp(s)

Canola oil

¼ cup(s)

Molasses

¼ cup(s), dark variety

Egg

1 large

Ginger root

2 tsp(s), peeled and grated

Sugar

1 cup(s)

Sugar

3 tbsp(s)

Instructions

  1. Place the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Whisk together the pastry flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ground ginger in a medium bowl. Whisk together the oil, molasses, egg, and fresh ginger in a large bowl until smooth; whisk in 1 cup of the sugar. Add the flour mixture and stir until blended. Let the dough rest about 10 minutes.
  3. Place the remaining 3 tablespoons of sugar into a small bowl. Roll scant tablespoonfuls of the dough into 1-inch balls, making a total of 36 balls. Using a rolling pin or palm of your hand, slightly press down on the balls to evenly flatten the surface. Sprinkle sugar on each of the cookies and place, sugar side up, on the baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are cracked, soft in the center, and firm along the edges, 10 – 12 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets on racks about 2 minutes. With a spatula, transfer the cookies to racks and let cool completely.
  4. Yields 1 cookie per serving.