Ginger Molasses Cookies

When fall comes around, I can't help but to make a batch of these wonderful, warmly spiced cookies. They have a real zing to them thanks to candied ginger and a spicy glaze. If anything, I may try to add more molasses in the future, just to up the smoky aspect of these tasty, chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies.

Ginger Molasses Cookies
yield: about 16 rather large cookies

2 1/4 cups bread flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp cornstarch

3/4 cup unsalted butter, browned*
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses

1 egg + 1 egg yolk
1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup candied ginger pieces, finely chopped*
Extra sugar for rolling

Glaze and garnish

1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 tbsp ginger ale

1/4 cup candied ginger pieces, chopped finely and coated in sugar

In a large bowl, combine flour and all of the dry goods and spices. Whisk together to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a mixer, combine cooled brown butter, brown sugar, and molasses. Mix on medium speed until combined (though the mixture may appear separated and weird right now, the eggs will emulsify it).

Add the eggs and vanilla, mixing for 30 seconds to 1 minute on medium speed until homogeneous and lighter in color.

With the mixer running on low, gradually add in the dry ingredients until all are incorporated. Stir in the chopped candied ginger pieces. Transfer dough to a bowl and refrigerate for at least three hours or overnight.*

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Scoop and roll dough into balls and flatten into discs. Coat in sugar and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 325 until just beginning to brown at the edges. The cookies may still be soft or puffed in the center; this is perfectly fine. To make glazing the cookies easier, when they come out of the oven press a bowl or glass on each cookie to make a slight indentation. Let the cookies cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the glaze:

In a small bowl, whisk the confectioner's sugar and ground ginger together. Add the ginger ale and whisk until smooth. Spread on cooled cookies, topping with extra ginger. Let the cookies sit for about an hour for the glaze to harden.

A couple quick notes:

• Brown butter by heating it in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir it constantly with a silicone spatula, scraping along the bottom. The butter will melt, foam, and then become clear before it starts browning. The whole process takes about 7-8 minutes and is worth perfecting (I personally use browned butter in most (if not all) of my cookie recipes).

• Candied ginger can be expensive and of low quality if you purchase from larger grocery store chains like Kroger. I get mine from Trader Joe's, but you could make your own or buy online as well.

• You will give your forearms a great workout by chopping candied ginger. Seriously.

• Personally, I love refrigerating cookie dough; the cookies seem to bake more evenly and the flavor is more evenly dispersed as well. These are also great cookies to roll into balls, press together and freeze for your own break-and-bakes. You can bake these immediately, but the cooking time will likely be lessened.

• The glaze is delicious and gingery. Feel free to opt in your favorite cream cheese frosting for it though!

Chocolate Truffle Confections

I've been on a candy kick. Typically, I hate 'candy.' Sour patch kids (where are the sour patch parents?), twizzlers (licorice in any form), starbursts (anything that removes teeth)... none of it ever appealed to me.

But chocolate? That is another matter entirely.

Here are two very different recipes for truffles, a classic confection. The first is a firmer truffle. The second is almost pillowy soft. Both recipes require a little patience; a lot of chilling and waiting is involved, but the wait is worth it. Both recipes were published originally in years-old issues of Bon Apetit magazine, but I've modified them slightly after some experimenting.

Pillowy soft Balsamic Truffles coated in cocoa powder

Balsamic Truffles
yield: about 24 truffles

1 1/4 cups heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp aged balsamic vinegar

9oz dark chocolate, chopped

cocoa powder for coating

Bring cream to a simmer in a heavy saucepan. Remove from heat and cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, stir 7 ounces (not exact) in metal bowl over simmering water until melted. Stir in remaining 2 ounces of chocolate to temper. Stir until smooth.

Add the balsamic vinegar to the lukewarm cream and stir the cream mixture into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Taste and add more balsamic vinegar if you want a little extra punch. Otherwise, chill until firm enough to roll, about 3 hours.

Roll about 2 tsp of truffle base into balls. Place on a plate to chill. Once cold, coat with cocoa powder and transfer to a plate. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Enjoy!

Earl Grey truffles coated in toasted almonds

Earl Grey Truffles
yield: about 24 truffles

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp sugar
3 Earl Grey teabags
8 oz dark chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

2 tbsp orange curacao (optional, and other liqueurs may be used*)
1/8 tsp salt

1/2 sliced almonds, toasted, for coating

Empty the tea from the tea bags in a small bowl. Bring the cream and sugar to just a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to make sure the sugar dissolves. Pour the hot cream directly over the tea. Cover and let steep 20 minutes.

In another small saucepan heat the butter and chocolate together over low heat until melted and smooth. Careful not to overheat. Transfer to medium bowl.

Once the cream has steeped, sieve the cream, to remove the tea leaves, into the chocolate mixture. Stir to combine. Add the curacao and salt, stirring to combine. Let cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until firm, about 4 hours.

Roll about 2 tsp of the truffle base into balls. Place on a parchment-paper lined tray and chill until firm, about an hour. Coat in toasted almonds or cocoa powder. Chill until firm again, about 1 hour. Enjoy!

*Originally, this was a substitution out of necessity. The recipe called for brandy, but I felt the orange notes of the curacao would marry well with the bergamot in the Earl Grey tea, and I was very pleased with the results.

Apple Spice Cake

A Jam Cake (recipe to come) is to my memories of Kentucky winter what an Apple Spice Cake is to my Kentucky fall. And with autumn right around the corner, this classic Apple Spice Cake, updated with a browned butter caramel sauce, has been on my mind.

Apple Spice Cake
yield: 1 ten-inch bundt cake

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp salt

1 cup oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 tbsp vanilla
4 eggs

4 cups diced Granny Smith apples (about 3 medium-large apples)
1 cup chopped, toasted pecans (or walnuts)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. To easily butter and flour a bundt pan, melt 1 tbsp of butter in a small bowl and combine it with 1 tbsp of flour. Brush the paste into the bottom and sides of the pan.

Peel the apples and quarter them. Remove the fragment of core from each quarter with a diagonal cut. Slice each quarter in half, lengthwise and dice the halves into even-sized cubes. Place the dices apples in a bowl of salted water (or lemon water) to prevent browning. Lightly toast pecans or walnuts in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes. Set aside to cool, but leave the oven set to 325 degrees.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat oil, apple sauce, and sugars until smooth. Add vanilla followed by the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition.

Add half of the dry ingredients to the oil and sugar mixture. Mix to combine, and then add the remaining dry ingredients. Drain the apples and fold them in along with the pecans. Pour mixture in the prepared pan, spreading to evenly distribute and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes, until a toothpick inserted midway between the edge and center comes out clean. Personally, I have a darker bundt pan from Williams Sonoma. The cake baked in about an hour and twenty minutes at 325 degrees, so be aware and adjust cooking times based on your cake pan. 

Cool for 20 minutes in the pan before loosening the cake with a knife, inverting the cake, removing it from the pan, and allowing it to cool completely. Brush about half a cup caramel sauce over cake to make it look glossy and beautiful. Serve the rest along side.

Brown Butter Salted Caramel Sauce
yield: about two cups of caramel

4 tbsp of butter

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup water

3/4 cup heavy cream
2 tbsp sour cream
1 tsp finely ground sea salt
1 tbsp bourbon? Sure, why not.

Begin by browning the butter in a saucepan. Set aside to cool. In the same pan (if you're bold and confident in your caramel-making abilities) place the sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring only until the sugar dissolves. Swirl the pan intermittently to prevent scorching and encourage even browning. After about 6-7 minutes at a steady boil, the mixture should be golden. Continue to boil for another minute or two until the mixture is a deep amber. Deep amber is the goal regardless of how long it may take to get there, but be watchful.

Remove from heat. Add in the cream all at once. The mixture will spit and sputter and be all kinds of angry; just whisk it until it calms down. Add in the sour cream, salt, and reserved brown butter. Whisk to combine. Feel free to add a tbsp of bourbon if you're feeling extra frisky. Cool the mixture or refrigerate until ready to use. This can be made two days in advance. Warm slightly before pouring over cake.