Crystallized ginger and toasted walnuts make a hum-drum drop cookie into something extra special! These cookies are chewy, not cakey, with just a tint of crisp to the outside edges. Utter perfection in my somewhat-not-so-humble opinion.
I hope you love them as much as we do!
Preheat oven to 350* F.
~ 12 Tbls. unsalted butter, melted and cooled a bit
~ 1/2 c. white sugar
~ 1 c. light brown sugar
~ 1 lg. egg
~ 1 egg yolk
~ 1 tsp. good vanilla...please try not to skimp here
Mix well, no need for a mixer even! Just a nice whisk will do here since the butter is melted.
~ 2 c. flour (make sure these cups are not scant)
~ 1 t. baking soda
~ 1/2 t. salt
Mix well and add:
~ 1/2 c. crystallized ginger (or more, Im a ginger junkie)
~ 1/2 c. toasted, chopped walnuts ("Pecans are most excellent here as well"...thank you, Bill and Ted)
After all your ingredients are adequately combined, drop into balls of approximately 1". Now CHILL THEM BALLS! Chill 'em I say!
Once they are chilled firm, then bake.
Give them some elbow room, the ginger makes them irritable, perhaps 2-3" apart.
Bake off for 9 - 12 minutes. Don't overbake these and make me come to your house and flog you with a rubber spatula.
(If your dough balls are a little bigger than mine, just add another minute to the baking time. The edges should be golden and the top just set with barely golden brown hints. Please don't overbake, you'll be sorry!)
Remove the cookie sheet from oven and let it rest a couple minutes before you attempt to move the cookies onto foil.
Once cooled, you can keep them freshest in a tupperware type container. Of course, at my house they never get that far.
FYI...this cookie dough recipe (sans ginger and walnuts) is great for chocolate chunk cookies or white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. If your family loves dates as much as mine does, sub out the ginger and walnuts for chopped dates and pecans...hoe.lee.cow.
