I don’t know when I’ll get around to baking cookies, but Dawn saved the day by sending a recipe for these Fudge-Filled Ginger Cookies. Dawn is as cookie-mad as I am (maybe more) and this one is bound to be good. It's adapted from two great sources – Bon Appetit and Elinor Klivans. Dawn combined two recipes to make a unique cookie.
Photo of Fudge-Filled Ginger Cookies taken by Dawn.
Fudge-Filled Ginger Cookies
Fudge-Filled Ginger Cookies
(1 hour chilling time to batter recommended before baking)
(adapted from a recipe in Sept. ’04 Bon Appetit)
Makes about 42 cookies or 21 sandwiches
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsps baking soda
¾ tsp ground ginger
1 ¼ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
1 cup sugar
½ cup + 2 TBS canola oil
1 large egg
¼ cup mild flavored molasses (I use “Grandma’s” brand)
additional sugar for coating
Preheat oven to 350. Position oven rack to center level. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the first 5 ingredients. In a separate large bowl, beat the sugar and oil for 2 minutes. Add in the egg and molasses (batter will look like smooth caramel). Slowly add in the flour mixture. Cover the batter with plastic and refrigerate for one hour or place in freezer for 30 minutes.
Form 1 inch balls of dough, (rounded tablespoon) then coat each with granulated sugar. Place on baking sheet 2 inches apart. Bake for 9-10 minutes, until light golden brown, Allow them to cool and enjoy or fill with fudge filling as shown.
Fudge Filling!
(from the book “Big Fat Cookies” by Elinor Klivans ’04)
This cookie cream can easily be made in advance, and stored tightly covered in the fridge for 2 days. Simply allow it to come to room temp, or gently warm it over a pan of simmering water.
½ cup heavy whipping cream
2 TB unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 ⅓ cups (8 oz) semisweet chocolate chips
In a medium saucepan, heat the cream and butter over low heat until the cream is hot and the butter melts. The hot cream mixture should form tiny bubbles around the edge and measure about 175 on a thermometer. Do not let the mixture boil.
Remove the pan from the heat and add in the chocolate chips, and allow them to sit in the hot cream for 45 seconds to soften. Use a small whisk and stir the mixture until it is melted, dark and shiny!
Pour the filling into a medium bowl and allow it to sit at room temperature until thickened, about an hour. Or refrigerate until it thickens, about ½ hour.
Place a dollop of filling onto the center of the bottom side of your desired cookie. Sandwich with another cookie and press gently to even out filling.
Alison says
cute presentation Anna! Merry Christmas to you and your family!!!
Anna says
I hope to make them on Monday. They'd be perfect for a cookie exchange.
Eva in Boca says
Dawns fudge-filled ginger cookies are so incredibly good, my husband and I asked Dawn to bake and ship several batches as Christmas gifts. I can hardly wait to hear the response when they receive these sweet treats in the mail. THANKS DAWN (aka: Cookie Chick)!
Candace says
I need another ginger cookie recipe to try like I need a hole in my head, but those look pretty good - my chief taste testers (my boss and my husband) agreed with my assessment of these cookies. They both suggested that I use the recipe for "big soft ginger cookies" that I found linked on egullet (I think you might have been the one who linked it!) and use the filling from this recipe.
Anna says
Candace, I wonder if this ginger cookie would work better for the cookie component.
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/103156
It has high ratings on Epicurious and it calls for a shortening/butter combo.
Candace says
I made these last night to bring into work today for dessert after we go out for a holiday lunch. I like the full effect, but this wasn't my favorite ginger cookie recipe... I think I prefer butter instead of veg. oil. The ganache was super easy and the combination was excellent.
Anna says
Debbie, you are fast! Glad you liked them.
Kate, I took a look at that. Never heard of it before, but it's funny. When I have more time, I'm going to watch a few more grandmas.
Rachel, that's a great idea! It also reminded me of something else you can do with those Anna's Thins. You know the old classic icebox cake dessert made with Nabisco Famous Wafers? You can make that same dessert, but use Anna's Wafers instead and have a ginger flavored ice cream cake.
Rachel says
And for those of us who don't really bake much (but still enjoy reading about other people baking 🙂 A quick no-bake version of this is to get thin ginger snap cookies (I LOVE the Anna's brand: http://www.annasthins.ca/pages/products.htm) and spread Nutella between two. Simply divine! 😉
kate says
Hi Anna,
Those cookies look devine! Too bad I am too lazy to bake today.
Have you been to What's Cooking Grandma?
http://www.humanbeans.net/whatscookinggrandma/
I think you will appreciate the site.
kate
Debbie says
I made these cookies today and they are amazing. Thanks for posting the recipe.
Frannie says
Anna, could you please contact me via e-mail? I have a question concerning your heat sealing method and don't know how to contact you other than here.
Thanks in advance
Frannie
Anna says
Chelsea, I don't have any personal experience with this because I tend to use up molasses pretty quickly. Most sources said 12 months.
Chelsea says
Yum!! I have a silly question, can you tell me what the shelf life of molasses is? I've had some for about 3 years and never opened it! :X I want to make some kind of ginger cookie, they sound so good, but there is no expiration date on the bottle, and I'm not sure I want to risk it!!