Ginger Geode Cookies

These are for the spice lovers. The burn from these gems lingers, and that's exactly how I want it. If you, like me, want your cookies to bite back, give these a try. You will not be disappointed. Any crystallized ginger will work, but I've had the best luck with ginger that comes in large chunks, not slivers or thin slices. They're usually more tender and flavorful.

Ingredients

• 8 oz Unsalted Butter, softened
• 10.6 oz Dark Brown Sugar
• 2 oz Non-Blackstrap Molasses
• 1 tsp Orange Zest
• 1 tbsp Ground Ginger
• 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Ground Clove
• 1/4 tsp Ground Coriander
• 1/4 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp Ground Black Pepper
• 2 tsp Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 1 tsp Table Salt
• 1 large Egg + 1 large Egg Yolk
• 14 oz All-Purpose Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1.5 tsp Baking Soda
• 8 oz Crystalized Ginger, chopped as finely or roughly as you'd like (or 12oz, if omitting Walnuts)
• 5 oz Walnuts (optional)
• 6 oz White Chocolate Chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF and line one or two aluminum baking sheets with parchment paper. If planning to bake two pans at once, move oven racks to lower-middle and upper-middle positions. If baking only a single pan at once, move one oven rack to the middle position.
2. In a large bowl beat the softened butter, brown sugar, molasses, orange zest, ginger, cinnamon, clove, coriander, grated nutmeg, black pepper, and salt. For fudgier cookies, beat just until the mixture begins to lighten in color. You do not need to cream them until light and fluffy, just ensure they're well combined.
3. Add the whole egg and egg yolk and continue beating until slightly fluffy.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Dump this into the beaten wet ingredients and mix just until no dry flour remains.
5. Add the chopped crystalized ginger, walnuts, and white chocolate chips, and fold to distribute them evenly.

For Giant 5oz Cookies

1. Portion the cookie dough into 5oz balls, rolling the balls in sugar for a more festive presentation if desired. Place the portioned dough on your parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing plenty of space between for spreading. Bake 6 cookies per pan, maximum.
2. Bake at 375ºF for 16-20 minutes. The cookies will puff, spread, and begin to crack starting at the edges. Once the edges look dry and slightly darker, and the cracks have reached the middle of the cookies but the dough within the cracks still looks puffy and moist, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes on the pan.
3. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.

For Normal 1.5oz Cookies

1. Portion the cookie dough into 1.5oz balls, rolling the balls in sugar for a more festive presentation if desired. Place the portioned dough on your parchment-lined baking sheet, allowing plenty of space between for spreading. Bake 12 cookies per pan, maximum.
2. Bake at 375ºF for 12-16 minutes. The cookies will puff, spread, and begin to crack starting at the edges. Once the edges look dry and slightly darker, and the cracks have reached the middle of the cookies but the dough within the cracks still looks puffy and moist, remove them from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes on the pan.
3. Transfer the cookies to a cooling rack to cool completely.