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Bake a Difference with OXO for Cookies for Kids’ Cancer and Dorie Greenspan’s Double – Ginger Molasses Cookies

September 20, 2016 by Renee

double-ginger-molasses-cookies-dorie-greenspan-and-cookies-for-kids-cancer-3759September marks National Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and each year, OXO supports Cookies for Kids Cancer  with a Bake a Difference blogathon. OXO will donate $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer (up to $100,000) for each blogger post shared for this important cause.

This year, in honor of the publication of Dorie Greenspan’s new cookbook, Dorie’s Cookies, OXO is giving bloggers like me a chance to preview one of the recipes from the book and to test out with some cool OXO products.

I am so happy to have been chosen to make the Dorie’s Double-Ginger Molasses cookies. Gingersnaps and Molasses cookies are among my favorite cookies to make each Fall. As soon as the air turns crisp, and the leaves start to change, I make my way to the kitchen to bake. Ginger and molasses embody the very essence of Fall, spicy warmth and comfort.  With a double dose of ginger,  ground and crystallized, these flavorful cookies are wonderfully chewy and delicious. They also keep very well. Which is great if you want to give some away, or you can keep them for yourself and just know they will last several days.

Here, you can see some of OXO’s awesome products in use:

With a light to guide you, OXO On Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer includes intuitive digital controls to steadily increase or decrease speed.When you’re finished, the on-board beater clip, wrap-and-secure cord, and flat, stable base allow for compact, upright storage.

double-ginger-molasses-cookies-dorie-greenspan-and-cookies-for-kids-cancer-3735

double-ginger-molasses-cookies-dorie-greenspan-and-cookies-for-kids-cancer-3737

Using OXO’s Medium Silicone Spatula is an easy way to scrape the bowls clean!

double-ginger-molasses-cookies-dorie-greenspan-and-cookies-for-kids-cancer-3746

For easy scooping and consistent shaping, the Medium Cookie Scoop soft grip absorbs pressure while you squeeze to smoothly release your cookie dough. It helps you make perfect balls of dough.

These cookies are actually baked in a muffin tin and yields a crispy and chewy, muffin like cookie. We used OXO’s Non-Stick Pro 12 Cup Muffin Pan. It is made with a ceramic-reinforced, two-layer, commercial-grade coating that provides ultimate non-stick release and is scratch-, stain-, corrosion- and abrasion-resistant. It’s unique micro-textured pattern ensures even baking.

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Without further ado:

Double-Ginger Molasses Cookies

Recipe from Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan 

I have my friend Christine Beck, who is, like me, a Paris part-timer, to thank for this recipe.

The cookies belong to the chewy-molasses-cookie family, but they have so much flavor and so many surprises that they transcend the familiar. For starters, there’s both crystallized ginger and powdered ginger, lots of chopped dark chocolate and an optional bit of instant espresso too, which I tacked onto the recipe because I’m an incorrigible tinkerer.

I also tinkered with the way these are baked. Classic molasses cookies are scooped, molded into balls, rolled in sugar and then pressed with a fork before baking, and you can make these cookies that way. Or you can do what I do: Mold them in muffin tins, which turn out more uniformly shaped cookies that teeter on the brink of becoming gingerbread cakes.

A word on crystallized ginger: Crystallized, or candied, ginger is sliced fresh ginger that is cooked in syrup, dredged in sugar and dried. You can usually find it in the supermarket alongside other dried fruits or in the spice section. If the ginger isn’t moist and pliable, steam it before using: Put it in a strainer over a saucepan of simmering water, cover and let warm and soften for about 5 minutes; pat dry, chop and use. If you can’t find crystallized ginger, you can omit it or mix 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger with 2 teaspoons sugar and let stand for about 10 minutes, until the ginger is syrupy.

Makes about 36 cookies.

Ingredients

2¼ cups (306 grams) all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1 to 2 teaspoons instant espresso, to taste (optional)

1½ teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon fine sea salt

1½ sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces; 170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature

1⁄3 cup (67 grams) sugar

1⁄3 cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar

1 large egg yolk, at room temperature

½ cup (120 ml) unsulfured molasses

1½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1⁄3 cup (55 grams) chopped crystallized ginger or 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar (see headnote)

7 ounces (200 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped chip-size

Sugar, for rolling

Method

Whisk the flour, cocoa, espresso (if using), spices, baking soda and salt together. Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-low speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until fully blended. Add the yolk and beat for 1 minute, then add the molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once and pulse the mixer until the risk of flying flour passes. Working on low speed, mix the dough until the flour is almost but not completely incorporated. Add the crystallized ginger (or the sugared fresh ginger) and chocolate and mix until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough and the ginger and chocolate are evenly distributed. If you’ve got bits of dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl, mix them in with a flexible spatula.

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray regular muffin tins or, if making free-form cookies, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Have a medium cookie scoop at hand. Alternatively, you can use a rounded tablespoonful of dough for each cookie. If you’re using tins, find a jar or glass that fits into them and can be used to flatten the dough; cover the bottom in plastic wrap. Spoon some sugar into a wide shallow bowl.

For each cookie, mold a scoop or spoonful of dough into a ball between your palms, then turn it in the sugar to coat and put in a muffin cup or on a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each ball of dough. If using tins, use the jar or glass to flatten each ball until it almost reaches the sides of the cup. If it’s free- form, press to flatten to about 1⁄2 inch thick.

Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, rotating the tins or sheets top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be lightly set around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer the tins or sheets to racks and let the cookies rest for 15 minutes before unmolding them and/or placing them on racks to cool completely.

If you’re baking in batches, make certain to start with cool tins or baking sheets.

Playing Around:

Ginger-Chocolate Ganache

To make a ganache that you can use to finish the cookies, bring 2⁄3 cup heavy cream and four 1⁄4-inch-thick slices of fresh ginger to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, cover the pan and allow the cream to infuse for 20 minutes. Return the cream to the boil, then remove the ginger and pour half of the cream over 6 ounces finely chopped bittersweet chocolate. Wait for 30 seconds, stir gently and then stir in the remainder of the cream. Dip the top or one side of each cookie in the chocolate and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Chill for 20 minutes to set the chocolate. Bring the cookies to room temperature before serving.

Storing

You can refrigerate the dough for up to 3 days. You can also scoop out the dough, shape into balls and freeze the balls on baking sheets; when they’re firm, pack them airtight and keep frozen for up to 2 months. Remove the dough from the freezer and let the balls sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes, then roll in sugar and bake. The baked cookies can be kept in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days. They’ll get a little drier and a little less chewy, but that will make them even better for dunking.

 

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Enjoy!

 

THE FINE PRINT: COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER IS A RECOGNIZED 501C(3) PUBLIC CHARITY DULY INCORPORATED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF NEW JERSEY. YOUR DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWABLE BY LAW. 100% OF PROCEEDS RAISED BY COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER FUND PEDIATRIC CANCER RESEARCH.
– OXO WILL BE DONATING $100 TO COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER FOR EACH BLOG POST DEDICATED TO THIS CAMPAIGN (UP TO A $100,000 COMMITMENT*.)
– *IN 2016, OXO WILL DONATE UP TO $100,000 TO COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER THROUGH PRODUCT PROCEEDS, BAKE SALE MATCHES AND OTHER FUNDRAISING EFFORTS
– I received the above products for participation in this campaign. 

Filed Under: Eat, Kitchen Sink, Desserts, Kitchen Gear & Gadgets, Product Reviews Tagged With: Cookies, Cookies For Kid's Cancer, Ginger, Molasses, OXO, chocolate

OXO Cookies for Kids Cancer- Katharine Hepburn Brownies

October 30, 2015 by Renee

20151020-D75_2466Cookies for Kids’ Cancer was founded by two OXO employees who were inspired by their son Liam’s battle with pediatric cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more children in the US than any other disease. The organization inspires others to join in the fight against pediatric cancer by raising the funds for new, improved and less toxic treatments in an effort to find a cure for pediatric cancer. Each year, bloggers and non bloggers alike bake cookies, hold bake sales and write posts to raise funds and awareness for this important cause. This year, OXO will donate a minimum of $25,000 and up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids Cancer.  For every product you buy that bears this green sticker, OXO will donate 25 cents as part of its $100,000 pledge to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer.

Also, OXO will donate $100 for every blog post dedicated to their Cookies for Kids’ Cancer campaign during the month of October, so I baked these Katharine Hepburn Brownies for the cause. OXO generously sent me this 3 piece Brownie Set to use during my baking which includes:

–        Non-Stick Pro 9×13 Cake Pan 

–        Brownie Spatula

–        Baker’s Dusting Wand

First, I have to say, that this is one of the best baking pans I have in my collection now. It’s heavy gauge aluminized steel with a micro textured, patterned bottom surface that allows for improved airflow and even baking. I would really love to have this pan in other sizes and shapes as well.

In order to fill this 9×13 pan, I made a triple batch of these ultra gooey and chocolaty brownies.  If you need a chocolate fix, just a small sliver of a piece will satiate your sweetest tooth.   Some versions of this recipe use squares of unsweetened chocolate, but I use a good quality cocoa powder and think they turn out just as well. In addition, the original recipe calls for walnuts. I am the only one who would eat them with nuts and since that would be very bad for me, I leave them out and add chocolate chips instead. Just because you can never have too much chocolate.

Katharine Hepburn Brownies
 
Print
Ingredients
  • 3 sticks butter (340 grams)
  • 1½ cup good quality cocoa powder (177 grams)
  • 3 cups sugar (600 grams)
  • 6 eggs
  • 1 tbs vanilla
  • ¾ cup AP flour (94 grams)
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chocolate chips
Method
  1. Pre-heat oven to 325°F. Grease and flour a 9x13 baking pan.
  2. Melt 3 sticks butter over medium heat in a heavy duty saucepan.Take off the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder mixing completely.
  3. Stir in sugar, eggs and vanilla. Beat the mixture well. It will thicken as you mix it.
  4. Stir in flour and add the teaspoon salt. (In the original recipe, 1 cup chopped walnuts is added here but I have omitted them as a personal preference.)
  5. Bake the brownies in a prepared pan for about 30 minutes. At this time, you can open the oven door and toss a cup of chocolate chips on top and continue baking for another 10 minutes.
  6. With these brownies, it is hard to tell for sure that they are baked through. They should be gooey and won't come clean on the typical toothpick test. The best way to test for doneness is to see that the edges are crisp and the top starts to crack a bit. In her own words "Don't overbake them! They should be moist, not cakey!''
3.4.3177

Incidentally, Ms. Hepburn’s townhouse in Turtle Bay on the east side of Midtown Manhattan, was down the block from where I worked at Grey Advertising and I lived just a few blocks south in Tudor City. I actually saw her in the neighborhood on more than one occasion.  Of course, I never dared to say hello, but I will continue to enjoy these brownies and say “Thanks, Kate” with every delicious bite.

 

 

The fine print: Cookies for Kids’ Cancer is a recognized 501c(3) public charity duly incorporated under the laws of the state of New Jersey. Your donations are tax deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law. 100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.
– OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for each blog post dedicated to this campaign in October (up to our $100,000 commitment*.)
– *In 2015, OXO will donate up to $100,000 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer through product proceeds, bake sale matches and other fundraising efforts

Filed Under: Eat, Kitchen Sink, Desserts, Product Reviews Tagged With: Brownies, Cookies For Kid's Cancer, Katharine Hepburn, OXO, chocolate

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