MELISSA’S VANILLA-GINGER COOKIES

These are not your standard spicy ginger cookies. There’s no brown sugar or molasses, nor is there a consortium of spices. They’re really a deliciously tender vanilla-ginger flavored butter cookie, with crispy edges and soft chewy centers. And believe me, they are addictive. If you don’t have vanilla powder, just use vanilla extract in the same amount.

I love the vanilla-ginger combo in this cookie. My one disappointment, though, is that it’s very bland looking. I recommend sprucing up the tops in some way. Use coarse sanding sugar, sprinkles, or even white or dark chocolate drizzles to make them look more appealing. I took the easy way out, just heating up some cream cheese frosting and spreading it onto the tops of the cookies, then sprinkling some with red shots and some with crushed toasted walnuts.

Mellissa’s Vanilla-Ginger Cookies Source: www.melissas.com Rating: 9.0 out of 10 PRINTABLE RECIPE

INGREDIENTS: 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature 1 cup white sugar 1/2 tsp. sea salt 2 eggs 2 Tbsp. vanilla powder (or vanilla extract) 2 Tbsp. fresh ginger root, grated 2-1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour 3 oz. crystallized ginger (1 bag of Melissa’s crystallized ginger, in the produce section), chopped into 1/4” pieces Heat oven to 375F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, cream together butter, sugar and salt until creamy. Add eggs; mix well. Add vanilla and ginger root; mix well. Add flour and crystallized ginger; mix until combined. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto ungreased cookie sheet, 2” apart. Flatten balls to 1/4” thick and bake 10-11 minutes, or till just set and beginning to brown. (These are best a little underdone.) Yield: approximately 30 cookies