Smoked Brown Sugar Gingersnaps

‘Tis the Season to be Jolly!

And ’tis the season for the annual Sprinkle Bakes Advent. That means 24 consecutive days of treats, which always makes December a little more special here than any other month. This year I’m focusing on beloved Christmas traditions. Going forward you can expect to see delicious treats inspired by seasonal flavors, with a little winter folklore in the mix.

I’m kicking things off with a cookie that very well may be Santa’s favorite – gingersnaps! This version is crisp around the edges, chewy in the center and it has a secret ingredient that makes it absolutely crave-worthy.

Have you tried smoked brown sugar yet? It’s catching on with the likes of Bobby Flay and other celebrity chefs – and for good reason! It adds a lovely subtle smoky note and woody complexity to all kinds of sweets. I highly recommend this artisan maker’s Maple Wood-Smoked Brown Sugar. It’s so wonderful in these gingersnaps, and it would also make an awesome stocking stuffer for the baker in your life. Gifting a new, exciting ingredient to a baker is like giving an artist a new color to paint with (hint, hint Santa Claus!).

The cookies get a little smoked brown sugar in the dough and then they are rolled in a mixture of cinnamon, granulated sugar and more smoked brown sugar.

Crinkly goodness, right here! The dough bakes into flat, even rounds that have just the right amount of snap on the edges. My husband ate five as soon as they were cool enough to touch. 

How stinkin’ cute is this plaid lunch box and thermos? I fell in love with them and decided that lunch boxes would be my version of cookie tins this year. Wouldn’t it be nice to gift hot cocoa or coffee alongside the cookies in a thermos? This would be a great gift for an on-the-go person such as a mail carrier.

I can’t seem to locate the exact lunch box I used in these photos (just the thermos) but there are plenty others to be found online (search ‘tin tote’). This Heritage Lunch box and matching Heritage Thermos would work nicely and look rather Christmasy.

This is pretty much the quintessential gingersnap cookie recipe, with all of the tongue-tingling ginger and molasses flavor you could hope for. The smoked brown sugar makes them a unique offering at cookie swaps and holiday parties. I hope you’ll give them a try!

Here are a few quick shopping links to ingredients and cookie-making essentials.

Maple Wood-Smoked Brown Sugar

Norpro 1.5 Tablespoon Cookie Scoop

AirBake Nonstick Pans

Wholesome Organic Molasses

Smoked Brown Sugar Gingersnaps

Heather Baird

The smoked brown sugar in this recipe may be substituted with regular light brown sugar, but I highly recommend seeking out the specialty ingredient that makes these cookies blue ribbon-worthy!

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 13 mins

Total Time 28 mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Servings 30

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

Cookie dough

• 1/2 cup 90g vegetable shortening
• 1/4 cup 57g unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup 150g granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup 55g smoked brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 cup 113g molasses
• 2 1/3 cups 276g all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Sugar coating

• 1/4 cup 55g smoked brown sugar
• 1/4 cup 50g granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• For the cookie dough: Beat together the shortening, butter, sugars, salt, and baking soda in the bowl of an electric mixer.
• Beat in the egg and molasses.
• Add the flour and spices. Mix on medium-low speed until a thick dough is formed.
• Sugar coating: combine the sugars and cinnamon in a small bowl.
• Portion the dough into 1 1/2 tablespoons for each cookie. ( I used a 1 1/2 tablespoon cookie scoop.) Roll each portion into a ball and then roll the dough balls in the cinnamon-sugar mixture and transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Space them at least 1 1/2-inches apart because the cookies will spread.
• Bake the cookies for 13 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the pan until firm enough to transfer to a wire rack. Cool completely. Store in a cookie tin or an airtight container.

Keyword ground ginger, molasses, smoked brown sugar

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