Regency Ginger Crisps

When my children were small, the first crisp days of autumn signaled the return of soup and rising bread to my kitchen. The soup would steam the windows and the dough added a yeasty aroma to air already perfumed by the lingering scent of burning leaves. These were the the years of ginger bread and apple crisp and the making of memories that I carry still with me today. These days, the fall kitchen, replete with memory, moves into high gear when our rains begin to fall and evening temperatures plummet with the setting of the sun. Today saw the making of bread and the quick assembly of ingredients for a long simmering bean soup. I decided to make cookies rather than a cake or bread, and as I was in need of gingersnaps I decided to try a recipe that's been on my to-do list for way too long a time. The recipe in question was for ginger crisps that appeared in the Joanne Fluke's, Chocolate Chip Cookie Murders. Now here is where I'll get myself in trouble. I really wanted the cookies to make a crumb base for some other recipes that I planned to test this weekend. I don't like the crumbs that are made with standard gingersnaps, and the Swedish cookies that I do love are just to expensive to use in this way. My solution has always been to make my own cookies and then mash them into crumbs. Inelegant? Certainly. Delicious? But of course! Now in the pursuit of crumbs, I must tell you I did manage to nibble on a cookie or two and can report that they are a great standalone treat, especially with a tall glass of cold milk to keep them company. They also make great crumbs. Save for the extended wait time required to chill the dough, the cookies are easy to make and are a great addition to any cookie collection. Like any molasses based cookie, they want to stick to the cookie sheets so get them to cooling racks as quickly as you can. If you haven't yet done so, I hope you'll give these cookies a try. Here's the recipe.

Regency Ginger Crisps...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Joanne Fluke and the Chocolate Chip Murder Mystery

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 large beaten egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

2-1/4 cup flour

1/2 cup white sugar

Directions:

1) Mix butter and sugar together in a large bowl. Cool if necessary. Add egg. Sir in soda, molasses, salt, and ginger. Mix well. Chill dough for at least an hour.

2) Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

3) Roll dough into balls and then roll them in white sugar. Place on greased cookie sheets and flatten. Bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Yield 36 cookies

From Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke