Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies

I had so much fun zesting and juicing the Rangpur Limes last week, but I didn't tell you about some of the things I made with them.

I added a couple of squeezes of the limes to a lovely Gin and Tonic.  Best G & T ever!

I zested and froze the zest, as well as freezing the juice.  I'm thinking a nice Lime Curd is in my future.  

I made a hummus that incorporated the juice and zest of the lime, and used that recipe for my Secret Recipe Club reveal on Monday.  It's called Southwest Hummus, and the lime and zest put it over the top.

I made some more Lime Syrup, which is similar to a simple syrup to be used in drinks that incorporate Tequila. If you keep it in the fridge, you can also use it to flavour all kinds of things.  It really does give a nice brightness to a lot of recipes.

But...
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies

I also made some sugar cookies, well, they're kinda like sugar cookies, cause I used my sugar cookie base recipe and then I made them into Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies.   I bet my Mom would have loved these.  She would snack on Candied Ginger, and that was one of her major treats.    I shuddered when she did that, I could not understand the appeal.
A while ago I bought a little tin of Candied Ginger pieces,
and found out that they're really not that bad.  I always have ginger root on hand anyway, in fact I'm growing some right now. 
I wonder how hard it is to candy it? hmmmm, I think I see a future post here.
But in the meantime, here's how I made these cookies. 
Luckily for me I have a lovely cookie tin I can keep them in, because they are perfect as an accompaniment to a nice cuppa'. 
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies with tea



Sift all dry ingredients together, and set aside.  Add the ginger here.  If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using salted butter, omit the salt.

I added the zest to the sugar
Then added the lime juice and extract.
Mixed them together and added the butter and egg and let them cream nicely together, just until they were all light and fluffy.  I think the extract and the juice added to the sugar helped to break it down quite a bit.
    Continue to mix until they are all incorporated.  Then add half the flour, mix and add the rest.  You will have a very soft batter/dough at this point. Don't forget to scrape down the sides as you're mixing this together.
  If you feel it is too soft, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of flour.  Take out of bowl, and dump onto a cutting sheet, and divide it into quarters,
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies
wrap well,
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies
and place in fridge for at least an hour to rest.  (anytime you have a lot of butter in a cookie dough recipe, let it rest for awhile in a cool spot, like your fridge.  You get lighter and crispier cookies that way.)
Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Grab the powdered sugar out of the cupboard and sift onto the surface where you will be rolling out the dough.   If you are rolling it out to cut the cookies into shapes.
 Take one portion of the dough out and roll out thinly, using enough of the powdered sugar to keep it from sticking too much.   Cut into desired shapes and place onto a silpat or parchment covered cooking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, turn the pan around, bake an additional 3-5 minutes, or until they are just browned a little.   Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack.  Continue with the rest of the dough until all the cookies are baked.
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies
I made a roll of 1/4 of the dough, then cut it into thin slices and am freezing the rest to bake off at a later date.

I cut the roll into thin, even slices and placed them on my reusable parchment paper on a baking sheet.
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies


 I forgot to take a picture of the cookies before they went into the oven.   My bad.
I  then baked them for 8 minutes, turned the pan around in the oven and baked them for an additional 5 minutes.
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies


Then I had fun staging them.
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies

I pulled out the cup I bought for my Mom to drink her coffee out of, when she used to visit us.  Mom never drank her coffee or tea out of a mug, she liked a proper cup and saucer.
 
Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies
I had to take a picture of the squirrel who came down to take a drink as I was shooting.

 I think Mom would have approved of these cookies, they were nice and gingery, but not overly so.   They had a nice pop of Lime.

I'm just glad I only baked off one sheet of cookies today, cause I'm having a hard time not eating all of them.
BTW, one quarter of the dough yielded 20 cookies.

There are only 14 left...

Is it coffee time yet?

 I did go here and here for inspiration, but then just adapted my own recipe.   Their recipes were more of a shortbread cookie though, and I wanted a crispy sugar cookie.   



Yield: 6 dozen

Candied Ginger and Lime Cookies

prep time: 1 hourcook time: 12 minstotal time: 1 hours and 12 mins
These are a perfect slice and bake cookie, for a little something different.

ingredients:


1 cup sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound)
1 tsp. Lemon Extract (I used my home made one)
1 egg
1/3 cup Crystalized Ginger, chopped ( I actually added another 2 tablespoons of the crystalized ginger)
Zest from one Rangpur Lime (1 1/2 tsp.)
Juice from one Rangpur Lime  (1/4 cup)
3 cups good all purpose flour, sifted (I like White Lily Brand).
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt (if you are using unsalted butter, if not, omit the salt)

instructions:

Sift all dry ingredients together,  and add the chopped ginger and set aside.    If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, if using salted butter, omit the salt.
Add the zest and lime juice to the butter  and egg.  Mix them together and add the butter and egg and let them cream nicely together, just until they were all light and fluffy.  I think the extract and the juice added to the sugar helped to break it down quite a bit.
    Continue to mix until they are all incorporated.  Then add half the flour, mix and add the rest.  You will have a very soft batter/dough at this point. Don't forget to scrape down the sides as you're mixing this together. If you feel it is too soft, you can add an additional 1/4 cup of flour.  Take out of bowl, and dump onto a cutting sheet, and divide it into quarters, wrap well. and place in fridge for at least an hour to rest.  (anytime you have a lot of butter in a cookie dough recipe, let it rest for awhile in a cool spot, like your fridge.  You get lighter and crispier cookies that way.)
Preheat oven to 350 deg.

Grab the powdered sugar out of the cupboard and sift onto the surface where you will be rolling out the dough.   If you are rolling it out to cut the cookies into shapes.
Take one portion of the dough out and roll out thinly, using enough of the powdered sugar to keep it from sticking too much.   Cut into desired shapes and place onto a silpat or parchment covered cooking sheet.
Bake for 7 minutes, turn the pan around, bake an additional 3-5 minutes, or until they are just browned a little.   Remove from oven and place onto a cooling rack.  Continue with the rest of the dough until all the cookies are baked. 

You can also make a roll of 1/4 of the dough, then cut it into thin  even slices   and place  them on  a reusable parchment sheet of paper or parchment paper, on a cookie sheet.    Bake for 8 minutes, then take the pan and turn it around and bake an additional 3-6 minutes, or until the edges are a pale golden color.

BTW - the raw dough freezes beautifully and can be sliced almost straight out of the freezer and baked. 
Created using The Recipes Generator
Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

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