Hello! Anyone listening? I guess I’ve been pretty neglectful of cookworm these days. Although I can’t claim to have scampered off to some exotic venue, it’s true that my cooking and baking has taken a real nosedive in recent weeks. One of the main reasons is work — honestly, the bloggers who manage an engaging full-time job on top of regular posts have my undying admiration. How the heck do you do it? The second reason is that, frankly, it’s easy to find oneself in a rut when you live alone. I don’t know about you, but I find it much more exciting to cook for other people than just myself. And if that weren’t enough, August has had a way of prying me from the computer with its taunts of rare Pittsburgh sunshine and endless fresh peaches that are simply too good out of hand to bother fussing with.

A very nice thing happened, though, while I was off daydreaming of green valleys and wiping peach juice off my face. I was given a Creative Blogger award from Lori of Lucious. She even called Pittsburgh “lovely” — which it IS, by the way — so how could I not like her? Thank you so much, Lori! Do check out her blog if you haven’t yet - she’s got some very tasty recipes in there. The gorgonzola sauce and chopped pork sandwiches in particular had me drooling like nobody’s business.

Meanwhile, I think we can all agree that the presence of a rut does not erase the need for cookies. Somewhere in the beginning of it, I made a batch while on the upswing of a hardcore ginger craving, and they’ve fortified me since. The recipe is from Cooking Light, so they are definitely on the “lighter” end of desserts, but I suspect you wouldn’t guess this unless told outright. There’s a lot of crystallized ginger in here, so it’s definitely for ginger fans, but it’s worth noting that someone who is very ginger-ambivalent absolutely loved these. I think they’re well-suited for summer, since the lemon-ginger combination goes so well with seasonal fruits, and they’re sturdy enough to travel to picnics with ease.

I rolled them in some large-crystalled decorating sugar which gives them a charming jewel-like appearance (and a satisfying crunch). You could also regular granulated sugar or a large-grain sugar like Demerara (which I bet would taste fantastic). They keep well for several days in a container and freeze beautifully for a month — I’ve been just popping one in the microwave for a few seconds each time I get the urge, which is quite often indeed.

Ginger-Lemon Cookies
Adapted from Cooking Light, May 2001

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup chopped crystallized ginger
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup vegetable oil
grated zest from 1 large lemon
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup decorating sugar or granulated sugar for rolling

In a large bowl, whisk together all-purpose and whole wheat flours, crystallized ginger, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and ground ginger. In a smaller bowl, combine the 1 cup granulated sugar, applesauce, oil, lemon juice and zest, and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture and combine just until moistened. Cove bowl with plastic wrap and chill 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Remove chilled dough from refrigerator and shape dough into balls (about 2 tablespoons for each ball) Roll the balls in decorating sugar and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 2 inches apart. Use the bottom of a glass to flatten the balls slightly. Bake the cookies at 350°F for about 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool 1 minute on pan, than transfer to wire racks to cool completely.

They freeze very well! Place the cooled cookies in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw at room temperature or microwave for 15-20 seconds.

Posted by the cookworm on Sunday, August 17th, 2008 at 12:03 pm.