Double Ginger Cookies

For those of you keeping score at home, it's T minus six weeks until D-day, meaning due date, of course. I feel so fortunate to have had a healthy pregnancy thus far. In fact, I've actually enjoyed being pregnant. Don't worry, I'm not going to go all Octomom on you and start having litters. It's simply a pleasant surprise that overall, my pregnancy has been a positive experience.

However, I haven't forgotten those few weeks late last summer during my first trimester when I was hit with the oh-so-delicately named "morning sickness," which would be more accurately called "24/7 nausea". I never had to hug the toilet bowl, but my digestive system definitely had better days.

I read somewhere that ginger is a good nausea remedy, so I stocked up on ginger tea, ginger chews, ginger candy...you get the idea. I can't confirm that all that ginger helped my condition, but it certainly didn't hurt it either.

However, munching on straight up crystallized ginger was a bit too harsh for me. So since last summer, I've had a bag of crystallized ginger in the back of my cupboard and today, struck by a ginger cookie craving, I decided to use it.


A few things that helped me narrow down to this recipe:

1. I wanted to use up the rest of my crystallized ginger.
2. I wanted the cookie to be a little spicy.
3. I wanted a thick chewy cookie, not a crispy gingersnap.
4. I was out of butter. I know. No butter. What was I thinking.

So introducing double ginger cookies. If you get really ginger-crazy (or if you happen to be a really nauseous pregnant woman), you could make it a triple by grating in some fresh ginger.

And if you're still keeping score at home, yes, I managed to mention nausea, toilet hugging, and Octomom all in a posting about cookies. Now excuse me while I kick back and brush this dirt off my shoulder.

Double Ginger Cookies
Adapted from Barefoot Contessa at Home

1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup canola oil
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
3/4 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger

In a large bowl, mix flours, baking soda, spices, and salt. In a separate large bowl, mix sugar, oil, and molasses until thoroughly combined; add egg and mix. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet mixture, mixing well. Add chopped ginger and mix until combined.

With your hands, roll dough into balls, set on baking sheet, then lightly flatten with the bottom of a sugar-dipped glass. Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool slightly on baking sheet, then cool completely on wire rack.