These were an experiment in textures. I wanted to make a cookie that was crisp, but not too crunchy. I like a chewy cookie, but not a cakey texture. The First Reader likes a cookie with a bit of bite to it. And the ginger? Well, I love ginger, and on a cold day a warm spice is very nice. I made these with chocolate chips, mainly because the Little Man had left an open bag tucked in the baking cupboard and I wanted to use them up. They are purely optional and after having made up the cookies, I’d say you could leave them out and get more of the spice – but they do complement the ginger very well.

Also, I was weighing out the ingredients, rather than physically measuring. What can I say? I was missing my lab time. I haven’t – yet – worked on converting recipes to formulas, but I really should. It would be a great exercise for me, and the Little Man, to work up some chemistry for the cookbook.

Ginger Oatmeal Cookies

Preheat oven to 350F

• 113 g butter
• 113 g lard
• 100 g dark corn syrup
• 85 g granulated sugar
• 0.7 g nutmeg
• 0.05 g ground cloves
• 2 g cinnamon
• 2.25 g ground ginger
• 5 g baking powder
• 1.5 g baking soda
• 0.15 g ground cardamom 
• 2 eggs (115 g with shell)
• 170 g Old Fashioned Oats
• 170 g pastry flour
• 4 g salt
• 200 g semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional)

In a stand mixer with batter blade attachment, beat the butter, lard, and all spices until creamy. Add in the dark corn syrup and sugar, while continuing to beat until fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, then the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Slow the beating and slowly add in the oats. When well incorporated, add in the flour in three portions, allowing it to mix well after each addition. Stop the mixer. Fold in the chocolate chips. 

I use airbake pans, with a silicone mat, for baking cookies. You’ll want to adjust the cooking temps and times according to your pans and oven – home ovens are rarely accurate, so this make take some time and experience to get comfortable with, but it’s a good process to go through. If you are using a dark pan, keep your temperature a bit lower (say 325) while a shiny silvery pan (like my airbakes) is fine at the recommended temperature. For cookies, this is vital as the cook times for proper consistency vary and it’s very easy to overbake. Also, you will want to remove the cookies and allow to stand on the pan for 2-3 minutes before removing to a cooling rack, to allow them to finish baking through, without overbaking. For my oven and set-up, I bake at 10-11 minutes, and remove when the edges have just gotten a little golden but the tops are pale.

This recipe makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies, dropped by tablespoonfuls onto the sheet. They will spread, so don’t put them closer than an inch and a half (for me, this is almost a thumb length) to one another. And yes, I know how long my thumbs are, I’ve measured. Makes a handy ruler when I don’t want to have an actual ruler! 

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