I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to share this cookie recipe with you. It’s been a favorite of mine for many years. The recipe comes from the China Moon cookbook by the late Barbara Tropp, a Bay Area chef and restaurateur who also spoke Mandarin Chinese. She was one of the leading voices and scholars on Chinese cooking, author of The Modern Art of Chinese Cooking (which I own 2 copies of).
Tropp knew traditional techniques and explained Chinese ingredients super well. She also created modern dishes for her restaurant, China Moon, that were really doable for home cooks. She was funny and friendly too, calling me one time after I sent her a thank you note. Food was fun to her, not precious as it’s often treated nowadays.
This little cookie is brilliant with its gingery bite – fresh ginger, ground ginger, and crystallized ginger are used. I keep portions of the dough frozen to bake off ‘fresh cookies’ for company.
You can’t really ruin this cookie by over handling it. Just remember to keep it cold so it’s easier to cut. In China Moon, the dough is rolled out and cut into small moon shapes. I prefer shaping logs and cutting coins to make things go faster. It’s delicious either way.
Last Christmas, I brought frozen dough to my mom’s house and my niece Paulina and I baked them off. Before dinner was ready, half of the cookies had been eaten up! When I served it to my friends Mary Frances and Tiffany, they described it as a gingersnap. Around my house, it’s the Barbara Tropp ginger cookie. Make it part of your repertoire.
Recipe
Triple Ginger Coins
Makes: 6 to 7 dozen cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup (4 oz / 120 g) cold or slightly softened unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
- ½ cup (3.25 oz / 135 g) packed dark brown sugar
- Scant 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon powdered ginger
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup (5 oz / 150 g) all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- Generous ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- Big pinch of fine sea salt
- 2 to 3 tablespoons finely diced crystalized ginger
Method
- Use an electric mixer to cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, until smooth. Add the fresh ginger, powdered ginger, vanilla, flour, baking soda, and salt. Work in with a spatula to form a dough. If needed, work in 1 to 2 tablespoons of flour to bring the dough together.
- On a lightly floured board, divide the dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion into a log about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. To make the dough easier to cut, cover and refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes. Or, wrap each log and freeze for up to 3 months; thaw before using.
- Line large baking sheets with parchment paper. Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350 F (175 or 180 C).
- Cut each log into scant ¼-inch (6 mm) coins; there should be 15 to 18 coins per log. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart; as needed use your fingers to smooth out any cracks and maintain a round shape. Place and press a tiny piece of crystalized ginger in the center of each cookie.
- Bake each sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes until the edges are lightly golden. Cool on the baking sheets set on wire racks. Stores very well in an airtight container.
Adapted from Barbara Tropp’s China Moon (1992, Workman Publishing)
When putting together a cookie plate, consider adding these:
