Ginger Stars
This recipe comes from Louise Hamel of Braintree,
Massachusetts (mother-in-law of Baking Sheet Editor
PJ Hamel). PJ writes: "My mother-in-law has always
celebrated Christmas with a lot of enthusiasm. Time
has diminished her physical capacity to carry out
all of her longstanding traditions, but some,
thankfully, persist. ...Perhaps her ginger stars,
soft, fat molasses cookies cut into star shapes, are
the absolute number-one tradition: her children,
arriving from points all over New England, check out
the poinsettia cookie jar as soon as they shake the
snow from their boots and step into the warm
kitchen.
2 cups (9 ounces) King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose
Flour
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
5 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) butter
1/2 cup (3 5/8 ounces) sugar
1/2 cup (6 1/4 ounces) molasses
1/3 cup (2 1/2 ounces) dark rum*
*The rum gives these cookies a distinctive flavor;
we feel it teams well with molasses. However, some
of our taste-testers didn't like it, so if you're
uncertain, just substitute water.
Dough: In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the
flour, spices, salt and baking soda, and set aside.
In a large bowl, beat together the butter and sugar,
then beat in the molasses. Add the dry ingredients
alternately with the rum or water, beating the
mixture till it's smooth. Cover the bowl, and
refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
Shaping: Flour a work surface, and transfer the
dough to the floured surface. Roll it out 1/4-inch
thick; this is thicker than normal, as you want the
cookies to be soft, not snapping-crisp. Cut out 2
1/2- to 3-inch stars (or the shapes of your choice).
Gather and re-roll the scraps, cutting till you've
used up all the dough. Note: Remember, the more
times you re-roll dough, the tougher the cookies
will be; try to get as many cookies as possible out
of the first rollout. Place the cookies on a
parchment-lined or lightly greased baking sheet.
Baking: Bake the cookies in a preheated 375°F oven
for 11 to 12 minutes, reversing the cookie sheets
top to bottom and back to front midway through the
baking. When the cookies are done they will have
cracked on top, but won't have browned around the
edges. Remove the cookies from the oven, and cool
them on a wire rack. Yield: about 22 (3-inch)
cookies.
Note: To keep these cookies soft, we recommend
storing them in an airtight container (a plastic bag
is fine) as soon as they're just barely warm. Add a
couple of slices of cut apple if you plan on keeping
them around long.
