Crunch, Munch

We are enjoying an afternoon snack at the moment. They were supposed to be for dessert tonight, but it's very warm in our house right now, the kids are hungry, and...well, why not have a treat midday for once?! Of course, this means that we won't be having any sugar post-dinner, just to keep things balanced!

A good ginger flavored cookie recipe is a staple for any baker, and I searched a long time for the right one. While crunchy Gingersnaps find their way into my kitchen from time to time, my absolute favorite ginger cookies are out of the Healthy Oven cookbook. They're chewy, and yet still manage to maintain a crispness as well. They hold together nicely and keep fresh tightly sealed in a container for several days, should you not consume them all within the first day or two.

Ginger and lemon pair very nicely, should you go ahead and make the ice cream sandwiches, but vanilla ice cream (or butter toffee) would be fabulous as well. I used a pint of Julie's Organic Lemon Frozen Yogurt for ours. I wanted larger sized cookies for our treats, so I used about 1/4 cup batter for each ball of dough instead of the usual walnut sized chunk. The baking temperature stays the same, but if you make yours bigger also, then they'll probably need a few extra minutes of time in the oven.

Ginger Crackles (from The Healthy Oven Baking Book by Sarah Phillips)

1 cup packed brown sugar

6 tbsp unsalted butter, softened

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/8 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground white pepper, optional (makes the cookies so tasty!)

granulated sugar, for rolling

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly spray two cookie sheets with oil.

Using a hand mixer, cream the butter and brown sugar. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add the spices, salt, and baking soda and mix well. Add the flour and beat just until combined.

Place about 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a shallow dish. Scoop 1 inch sized pieces of dough into your hands, roll into balls, then roll in the sugar. Place on the prepared cookie sheets. Flatten slightly with the bottom of a drinking glass.

Bake about 10 minutes, just until the cookies are set. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 32 cookies.

Ice Cream Sandwiches

For the ice cream sandwiches, use about 1/4 cup dough for each cookie. Roll in the sugar and flatten as above, but increase the baking time by about 2 minutes.

Once the cookies have cooled completely, Place a scoop of softened ice cream or frozen yogurt onto the center of one and place another cookie on top (about 1/4 cup). Press gently to sandwich them together. Place on a cookie sheet. When all of the sandwiches have been made (work quickly), place the cookie sheet in the freezer for at least one hour, or until the cookies and ice cream are frozen solid. Wrap each in plastic, place in a large sealable bag, and freeze until needed.

Makes about 8 large sandwiches.