Christmas Baking – Ginger Cookies

Christmas Baking – Ginger Cookies

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Note to self: Put the camera cable back where it belongs if you don’t want to spend the morning looking for the only piece of equipment in the house that will transfer photos to your computer. Sigh…


After decades of baking, my extended family has decided Christmas doesn’t need dozens of different kinds of cookies. Collectively we have decided a Christie Christmas needs only four cookies — but dozens of each. Shortbreads are essential, as are lemon bars, Nanaimo squares and the ginger cookies pictured above.

Being greedy, I insist on my mother’s trifle at Christmas dinner and toss in rumballs for good measure. But really, if these were the only cookies on the plate, I wouldn’t complain.

They are the ultimate in crinkly goodness. Sometimes I add the orange rind, sometimes I leave it out. I love to toss in extra candied ginger, but a certain super-taster in the family finds it too much. This year I pared things down even further and didn’t dip the cookies in sugar. Instead I topped each with a single piece of crystallized ginger. Looks out of proportion doesn’t it?

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But these puppies spread.

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Let’s see. I’ve already shown you the shortbreads, and I’ve yet to make the Nanaimos… so I’m almost done. Tune in tomorrow when l post lemony food porn.

In the meantime, what are your must-have Christmas cookies? Maybe I’m missing something.

No Comments
  • Roxanne
    Posted at 15:44h, 11 December

    We’re down to just two kinds of cookies from the dozen or more from my childhood. I only make pizzelles and wine cookies (sort of like wine infused doughnut holes coated in honey). If I get motivated, I’ll send you photos and the recipes.

  • debbie
    Posted at 16:40h, 11 December

    I hate ginger. Ginger bread men are o.k. Ginger snaps are o.k. but a big hunk of candied ginger in my cookie. yuk! Sorry Char.

    Must haves: Shortbread Cookies,
    Nests (thimble cookies),and Snow balls. (round shortbread based cookies with walnuts, and rolled in icing sugar.) Those are my 3 favorites.

  • Divawrites
    Posted at 18:24h, 11 December

    Christmas won’t come if I don’t make my Melting Moments. I have doubts that Christmas would come without my mom’s butter tarts…and I have to make skor shortbread, sugar cookies, gingerbread and regular shortbread…

    How many days have I got until Christmas?

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 18:53h, 11 December

    Roxanne, I’ve never heard of pizzelles or wine cookies. Do share!!

    Debbie, don’t worry about not liking ginger. That leaves more for me!

    Diva, I’d love to try your mother’s butter tarts. We should have a butter tart party sometime. And don’t make me count the days to Christmas. I’ve done NOTHING towards shopping.

  • Anonymous
    Posted at 19:45h, 11 December

    This Super-Taster will just pull those poison chunks of ginger off and enjoy the yummy cookie below.
    I will also add some special diabetic brownies to the feast this year for you know who.
    Love the before and after photos.
    The family Super-Taster

  • cheryl
    Posted at 14:02h, 12 December

    I love the before and after photos, too, and I LOVE ginger cookies!

    (I also lose my camera’s USB cable about 3 times a week so you’re not alone. And don’t even talk to me about my cell phone charger.)

  • Dana McCauley
    Posted at 21:39h, 12 December

    I love ginger and these cookies look like they could become a dessert island food for me.

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 17:46h, 15 December

    Robin, aka Super-Taster, I will load the cookies with ginger so there will be more for me 🙂

    Cheryl, these cookies are have such a dramatic before-and-after I couldn’t resist. Glad you like it.

    Dana, a dessert-island cookie? I think I’ll steal your phrase. Yes, this would rank right up there with oatmeal chocolate chip. I really can’t think of a more perfect chewy cookies than this recipe.

  • debbie
    Posted at 11:01h, 24 December

    I will follow the advice of the “super taster”, (aka, your sister Robin), and will make these cookies, as my husband loves ginger and just bought some candied ginger, last night. I like chewy cookies with ginger flavour, so I will just pull the poisonous chunk off mine and feed it to my husband. He will be delighted with that!

  • Christie's Corner
    Posted at 11:09h, 24 December

    Debbie, glad you’re trying them. Omit the 1/2 cup crystalized ginger in the mix! Put the crystalized ginger on top of your husband’s cookies instead.

    Enjoy!

  • jodi
    Posted at 17:02h, 29 December

    One of my new must-do Christmas cookies is….this recipe! I made them a few days before I left for the hospital along with sugar cookies and mocha bars and that was IT for this year’s cookie making. And it’s plenty.
    The only variation I do is that I put plenty of candied ginger in them and then mix a little bit of powdered ginger into the sugar I roll them in for an added zip. They are extremely popular with long-suffering spouse, who even brought a couple in to me while I was in the hospital. They’re almost gone now but I won’t be baking for a while yet!