Triple-Ginger Cookies

These cookies are soft, puffy, and perfectly spiced. I’m ashamed to say that when Ron baked these, I ate 10 of the first batch. Which is why my hips are larger than Texas, but let’s not go there, Dollinks ...

Triple-Ginger Cookies:

3/4 c. (180 mL) butter or margarine, softened

1 c. (250 mL) demerara (i.e., dark brown) sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 c. (60 mL) molasses
2-1/4 c. (560 mL) flour  
1-1/2 tbsp.(22 mL) freshly grated ginger

1 tsp. ground ginger 
1-1/2 tsp. (7.5 mL) cinnamon
1/2 tsp. (10 mL) nutmeg
2 tsp. (10 mL) baking soda

1/2 tsp. (2.5 mL) salt

1 c. (250 mL) crystallized ginger, chopped (see Note)

1/4 c. (60 mL) granulated sugar, or as needed 

Preheat oven to 350 deg. F. Spray-grease large cookie sheet or cover with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine butter and demerara sugar in large bowl, beating with electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg and molasses, continuing to beat until well blended.

To medium bowl, add flour, spices, baking soda, and salt, combining thoroughly. Stir in crystallized ginger. Gradually add flour-mixture to butter-sugar mixture, mixing just until blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hr. To small bowl, add granulated sugar, setting aside until needed. 

Working assembly-style, roll dough into 1-1/4 in. (3 cm) balls - no need to set on cookie sheets yet. Gently roll in granulated sugar, coating entire surface of ball. Set balls 2 in. (5 cm) apart on prepared cookie sheet.

Bake 12-to-13 min., or until tops of cookies are puffed and start to crack. Do not over-bake. Cool on cookie sheet 1 or 2 min. before transferring to wire racks to cool thoroughly. These cookies freeze well. Makes 2-1/2 dozen.

Note: If you don’t have crystallized ginger, add a little extra sugar to this recipe.

Peanut Sriracha Salad Dressing

Terrific! That’s what this interesting salad dressing is! My supermarket passed it along on a package of coleslaw. I find its strong Asian influence a perfect blend for something new. 

Tip: Don’t substitute another hot sauce for the sriracha, because you’ll wonder what all the hoopla’s about. Billed as one of the world’s most potent hot sauces, the sriracha elevates these everyday ingredients to a magical combination! Messing with perfection is never a wise idea (I neither solicit nor receive and gratuities or freebies for saying this). 

The salad? Here’s what I did, but anything you throw together will work just fine. To loose leaf lettuce, I added a small amount of coleslaw (for color), 1 mandarin orange (peeled and sectioned, with the sections cut in half), roughly 1/3 c. (80 mL) cherry tomatoes (sliced into halves or thirds), and a generous handful of parsley (stems removed). This, I tossed with enough dressing until the leaves glistened. Wow, was this salad ever delicious!

Peanut Sriracha Salad Dressing:

1/4 c. (60 mL) smooth or creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. (60 mL) rice vinegar

2 tbsp. (30 mL) soy sauce

2 tbsp. (30 mL) canola oil

1 tbsp. (15 mL) sesame oil

1 tbsp. (15 mL) honey

1 tsp. (5 mL) sriracha hot sauce

Blend all ingredients until smooth. Refrigerate until needed. Makes 1 cup (250 mL).