Brother Andrew Corriente, an award-winning baker and Catholic Capuchin Franciscan friar, shares a cookie recipe that’s sure to be a hit for the holidays.
Ingredients
| Cookies 5 tsp. ginger |
| 1 tsp. cinnamon |
| ¼ tsp. allspice |
| ¼ tsp. black pepper |
| 1 c. unsalted butter (straight from fridge), cut into ½-inch cubes |
| ½ c. light brown sugar (or dark brown sugar) |
| ½ c. sugar |
| 2 tsp. baking soda |
| ½ tsp. fine sea salt (¼ tsp. table salt or coarse kosher salt) |
| ¼ c. molasses (omit if you have dark brown sugar) |
| ½ tsp. pure vanilla |
| 1 medium egg (straight from fridge) |
| 2 ½ c. all-purpose flour |
| Cinnamon Sugar 4 tsp. cinnamon |
| ¼ c. sugar |
| Glaze 4 c. sifted powdered sugar |
| 1 Tbsp. honey |
| ½ tsp. almond extract or vanilla extract |
| ½ c. warm water |
Preparation
Cookies
1. Preheat oven to 350º and position rack in the middle of the oven.
2. Add the ginger, cinnamon, allspice and pepper, butter, brown and white sugar, baking soda and salt into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until no clumps of butter remain, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
3. Whisk together molasses, vanilla and egg in a separate bowl, and slowly drizzle into the mixer bowl while running on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.
4. Stop mixer and add the fl our. Turn the mixer on low and mix until no visible clumps of fl our remain.
5. Scoop about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of dough, and gently roll between the palms of your hands and place on a parchment-lined baking tray. Place in the freezer for 20 minutes or 40 minutes in the fridge.
Cinnamon Sugar
1. In a bowl, whisk cinnamon and sugar together; set aside.
2. Once dough is chilled, roll each ball in the cinnamon sugar and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment, leaving about a 2-inch space between the dough balls.
3. Bake at 350º for 12 to 15 minutes (rotating the tray at the 8-minute mark). Cookies are done when the edges are hardened, the tops are very soft and cookies don’t stick to the parchment paper when lifted.
4.Leave to cool on tray for 10 minutes; the residual heat will con-tinue cooking the cookies. Trans-fer to a wire rack to completely cool the cookies before icing.
Glaze
1. Place sugar, honey and extract into a bowl. Add 4 tablespoons water and combine with a whisk.
2.If you’re using the glaze as icing, test the thickness by drizzling some on a plate. If it spreads too much, add another tablespoon of powdered sugar and check again. If it doesn’t spread enough, add another tablespoon of water. Add more water if you want thinner glaze. Pipe icing, drizzle glaze with a fork, or dip the cookies into it.
Yield: about 25 cookies.
Nutritional Information (serving size: 2 cookies): Calories: 440; Fat: 16g; Cholesterol: 55mg; Sodium: 320mg; Total Carbohydrates: 75g; Dietary Fiber: 1g; Sugars: 53g; Protein: 3g.
Read Brother Andrew’s inspiring story from the 2021 Joys of Christmas!
