Cherry Almond Ginger Chews
On the way home from a family day trip to Manhattan recently, I stopped by the Gourmet Garage for some car treats. In the bakery area, the kids and I saw something intriguing: a package of Chewy Cherry Almond Ginger Cookies. They demanded to be bought; I agreed at once.
They were delicious, and I decided that I must reverse engineer them as soon as possible. This has proved to be one of my most challenging duplication projects, but after three batches, I have come off conqueror. My sacrifice is your gain; I graciously accept your thanks in advance.
The key ingredient here is a homemade ginger syrup, though you can substitute molasses if you don't have the time or the inclination.
Cherry Almond Ginger Chews
2 cups + 2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
6 oz. (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup ginger syrup* OR molasses
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cherries
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line cookie sheet with silpat sheet or baking parchment.
Mix the flour, salt, soda, and spices together in a bowl and set aside. Beat the butter and the sugars in mixer on high speed for 3 minutes. Add the egg yolk and the vanilla and beat to combine for about half a minute. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl and add the syrup (or molasses) and beat until combined. Scrape down sides again. Add the flour mixture and mix on lowest speed only until well mixed; add the cherries and the nuts and mix for just a few seconds more--do not overmix. The dough should be very soft. If that freaks you out, you can add another couple of tablespoons of flour, but you shouldn't need to do that.
Put rounded tablespoonfuls of dough about two inches apart on the cookie sheet. Bake for 11 minutes. The cookies will not look done; that's okay. Let them cool for 5 minutes on the cookie sheet, then transfer them to a rack to finish cooling. Sample one and marvel at the warm, gingery goodness. Makes about two dozen.
*Ginger Syrup
A piece of ginger root about as big as your hand (fingers included)
2 cups white sugar
2 cups water
Slice the ginger into very thin slices (most easily done in a food processor). Put it in a heavy, medium-sized saucepan with the sugar and the water. Boil the mixture for at least a half hour, until it reaches 220 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Strain the syrup (save the candied ginger in a Mason jar in the refrigerator for making tummy-soothing ginger tea). Let syrup cool to at least room temperature before using. Store in a Mason jar in the fridge; keeps indefinitely. Makes about two cups--enough for four batches of cookies!
As always with my recipes, if you try this, let me know how it works out for you.