Ginger Creams

In most cookbooks, the table of contents reads something like: Appetizers, Mains, Sides, Desserts (et cetera, et cetera). If I ever made one, the only categories I would need are: Breakfast, Desserts, Breakfasty-Desserts, and Stress-Eating (...and maybe a brief addendum for all the tofu and vegetables).




So this is an entry for the Stress-Eating chapter. When I was trying to find a place to live/starting classes/getting my life together a couple years ago in Maldon, I went through an intense store-bought cookie phase. Store-bought biscuits/cookies are the ultimate anxiety food; extremely crunchy and sweet, usually in that "keep eating me!" tube packaging. Along with Earl Grey shortbreads, the other substance I abused was Fox's Ginger Crunch Cream biscuits. So good! You can probably get something similar here, but so far I haven't been stressed enough to seek them out. Which is a good thing, I guess.

Ginger Creams

Adapted from Mom's Ginger Snap recipe
Makes about 5 dozen cookies, enough for about 35 Ginger Creams

Cookies
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger

Buttercream
1 cup butter, softened
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons milk or cream

In a large bowl or food processor, beat together the sugar, oil, molasses, and egg. In another bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Add the dry ingredients to the sugar mixture and stir to combine. Chill the dough for 10-20 minutes to make it easier to work with.

Preheat your oven to 375°F/190°C. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place them at least 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 9 or 10 minutes, until they're cracked on top and brown just around the edges. Allow them to cool completely on a wire rack.

To make the buttercream, whip the butter on high speed in a large bowl for a couple minutes until pale and, uhhh, 'whipped' looking. Gradually add the icing sugar, beating and scraping down the sides of the bowl from time to time. Beat in the vanilla extract and a little bit of the milk - only as much as you need to loosen it up and get the consistency right. Spread or pipe it onto one side of a cookie, and sandwich it with another. These are best if you refrigerate them, otherwise the buttercream will squish out when you take a bite. Things could get messy.