Cooking
Page 166 in the old book / page 202 in the new book
The dough for these cookies handles like a dream. It is rolled at room temperature and is not at all sticky. It is a beautiful ebony color and smooth as silk when rolled. Rolling these cookies was almost like play. If only all rolled doughs were like this!
This recipe would be perfect to use with kids. It is what I would call "gingerbread", so it is perfect for decorating with raisins and candies, or with icing (Maida provides a royal icing recipe). And not only is the dough easy to roll, mixing it provides an entertaining chemistry lesson. Baking soda is added to a heated mixture of molasses and sugar. The alkaline baking soda reacts dramatically with the acidic mixture resulting in a thick caramel-colored foam that rises to the top of the pan.
I rolled the cookies a little under a quarter of an inch thick and got about 70 cookies (I think they were about 2 1/2 inches across). These can be rolled just about any thickness you'd like. They have equal amounts cinnamon and ginger and have a warm, spicy flavor. I liked them very much - though I'm certain I was biased by the fun I had making them!
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "If you are a fan of gingerbread cookies, then you will like this cookie. The heart shape was adorable, but very plain looking. I thought the cookie could use a powdered sugar glaze icing not only for taste, but to dress it up. Rating - 3.0"
Denny: "OK - don't like ginger too much. Minus 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "In a word: delicious! Lovely golden spice color. Light, crunchy texture. Fabulous "Ginger Cookie" flavor. Rating - 5.0"
Terri: "These ginger cookies taste as good as they look. The heart shape is very festive and the taste resembles a delicious ginger snap. I think these would be good alongside of a lemon bar. Very tasty. Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.4
Next Week - Viennese Almond Wafers
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- Mondays With Maida - Tropical Sour-cream Cookies
Page 176 in the old book / page 209 in the new book Lemon juice and the grated rind of both lemon and orange give these soft cookies a very nice citrus flavor, but they have an unfortunately bland appearance. They need something to pretty them up - perhaps...
- Mondays With Maida - Swedish Honey Cookies
Page 164 in the old book / page 201 in the new book Another in our series of plain brown cookies. These were very crisp and had an interesting combination of spices - cinnamon and coriander. The aroma coming from the oven as they baked was amazing, but...
- Mondays With Maida - Wild-honey And Ginger Cookies
Page 161 in the old book / page 199 in the new book These may look much like last week's cookies, but they're quite different in both taste and texture. They have a full cup of honey in them which probably accounts for the almost orange color....
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Molasses Cookies
Page 64 in the old book / page 92 in the new book I think I'm feeling a little let down by the oatmeal drop cookies in this book. Not one of them fits my idea of the perfect oatmeal cookie... thick, loaded with raisins (sorry Suzanne!), crunchy outside,...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Swedish Ginger Cookies
Page 166 in the old book / page 202 in the new book
The dough for these cookies handles like a dream. It is rolled at room temperature and is not at all sticky. It is a beautiful ebony color and smooth as silk when rolled. Rolling these cookies was almost like play. If only all rolled doughs were like this!
This recipe would be perfect to use with kids. It is what I would call "gingerbread", so it is perfect for decorating with raisins and candies, or with icing (Maida provides a royal icing recipe). And not only is the dough easy to roll, mixing it provides an entertaining chemistry lesson. Baking soda is added to a heated mixture of molasses and sugar. The alkaline baking soda reacts dramatically with the acidic mixture resulting in a thick caramel-colored foam that rises to the top of the pan.
I rolled the cookies a little under a quarter of an inch thick and got about 70 cookies (I think they were about 2 1/2 inches across). These can be rolled just about any thickness you'd like. They have equal amounts cinnamon and ginger and have a warm, spicy flavor. I liked them very much - though I'm certain I was biased by the fun I had making them!
Here's the panel...
Suzanne: "If you are a fan of gingerbread cookies, then you will like this cookie. The heart shape was adorable, but very plain looking. I thought the cookie could use a powdered sugar glaze icing not only for taste, but to dress it up. Rating - 3.0"
Denny: "OK - don't like ginger too much. Minus 1 for no chocolate. Rating - 2.0"
Laura: "In a word: delicious! Lovely golden spice color. Light, crunchy texture. Fabulous "Ginger Cookie" flavor. Rating - 5.0"
Terri: "These ginger cookies taste as good as they look. The heart shape is very festive and the taste resembles a delicious ginger snap. I think these would be good alongside of a lemon bar. Very tasty. Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 3.4
Next Week - Viennese Almond Wafers
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Connecticut Date Slices
Page 250 in the old book / page 270 in the new book Though not the most photogenic of cookies, these date slices more than make up for their looks with a warm, spicy flavor that is complemented by sweet dates and raisins. Surprisingly, there are no nuts...
- Mondays With Maida - Tropical Sour-cream Cookies
Page 176 in the old book / page 209 in the new book Lemon juice and the grated rind of both lemon and orange give these soft cookies a very nice citrus flavor, but they have an unfortunately bland appearance. They need something to pretty them up - perhaps...
- Mondays With Maida - Swedish Honey Cookies
Page 164 in the old book / page 201 in the new book Another in our series of plain brown cookies. These were very crisp and had an interesting combination of spices - cinnamon and coriander. The aroma coming from the oven as they baked was amazing, but...
- Mondays With Maida - Wild-honey And Ginger Cookies
Page 161 in the old book / page 199 in the new book These may look much like last week's cookies, but they're quite different in both taste and texture. They have a full cup of honey in them which probably accounts for the almost orange color....
- Mondays With Maida - Oatmeal Molasses Cookies
Page 64 in the old book / page 92 in the new book I think I'm feeling a little let down by the oatmeal drop cookies in this book. Not one of them fits my idea of the perfect oatmeal cookie... thick, loaded with raisins (sorry Suzanne!), crunchy outside,...