Chai-Spiced Ginger Doodles
Inspired by the warming spices in chai tea, we created this genius riff on the classic snickerdoodle that’s perfect for the winter holidays. Crystallized ginger is folded into the dough and also sprinkled on top of the cookies as they bake, adding a pop of sweet and spicy flavor. Enjoy these little gems with a cup of chai tea or coffee, or package them up and give as gifts.
Ingredients
- 6 oz. (185 g) crystallized ginger
- 2 3/4 cups (14 oz./440 g) all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp. cream of tartar
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
- 2 Tbs. ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
- 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
- 16 Tbs. (2 sticks) (8 oz./250 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups (12 oz./375 g) granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/3 cup (1 1/3 oz./40 g) confectioners’ sugar
Directions
Chop 4 oz. (125 g) of the crystallized ginger into 1/4-inch (6-mm) pieces. Cut the remaining ginger into thin strips. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, cloves, allspice and nutmeg. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium speed until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated sugar and beat until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating until combined and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, then add the vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and beat until just combined.
Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, fold in the chopped crystallized ginger. Cover the mixer bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of an oven and preheat to 400°F (200°C). Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Put the confectioners’ sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch (4-cm) balls, then roll in the confectioners’ sugar to coat well. Transfer to the prepared baking sheets, spacing the cookies at least 2 inches (5 cm) apart.
Bake until the cookies are slightly cracked on top and puffed up, 10 to 12 minutes, sprinkling the crystallized ginger strips on top of the cookies and rotating the baking sheets about halfway through the baking time.
Transfer the baking sheets to a wire rack and let cool for about 10 minutes, then transfer the cookies to the rack to continue cooling. Serve warm or at room temperature. Makes about 14 cookies.
Williams Sonoma Test Kitchen