Twelve Cookies of Christmas #1: Screaming Ginger Cookies

These cookies really don't need an introduction, as they are a perennial on my holiday baking repertoire ever since I first made them a few years ago. Nothing screams more like the holidays to me than a warm oven filling your home with scents of sugar, ginger, molasses, and spices. While I'm not the biggest gingerbread fan, these ginger cookies are one of my personal favourites, and I think it's the chewiness of these cookies that is the major highlight for me.

They're cheekily called "screaming ginger" cookies because of the three different kinds of ginger that go into these—ground, fresh, and candied (be sure to get the big, crystallized chunks that are soft and chewy so the best results), making a nice, spicy cookie. I like my cookies with a little extra kick, so I am pretty liberal when it comes to adding more fresh ginger to the dough, but you can always adjust to your own family's tastes.


The recipe comes from one of my go-to cookie bibles, Chewy Gooey Crispy Crunchy Melt-in-Your-Mouth Cookies, by the super talented Alice Medrich, who is a baking queen. Each of her recipes are meticulously tested until pitch-perfect—so you can really do no wrong with clear, easy-to-follow instructions and innovative recipes. If you don't already have this book on your shelf, it's so worth picking up, because trust me, you will go back to it time and time again (some of my pages are starting to stick together thanks to splattered dough and what not). It also makes a great gift during the holidays too!

Otherwise, you can find the recipe here.