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Chef Jeff Mahin knows dough. Not only does the young gun make one of our favorite pizza pies in town, he also is one heck of a baker.
When we first tried his gingersnap cookies over at Stella Barra in Hollywood, we were immediately smitten. (He also slangs the sweet little treats in the restaurant's pastry cases over in SaMo.)
What makes these cookies ($2.95 a piece) so unique is the use of cayenne pepper, which add a wonderful heat to a traditionally super sweet cookie.
Admittedly, we got a bit pouty when they were sold out on our last visit to the Santa Monica location. Thankfully, and perhaps dangerously, we can now make them at home. They are wonderful on their own, and you (and maybe your guests, if they last tip the time of their arrival) will likely gobble them up quickly. But if for some reason they don't get devoured, we'd be willing to bet they'd make an excellent crumbled pie crust for Thanksgiving.
Here's how it's done.
Ingredients
1/2 lb butter
3/4 cup ungranulated white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup dark molasses
3 and 1/4 cup all purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
*makes 2 dozen cookies
Method
Cream the butter, sugar and brown sugar in a mixing bowl until smooth. Slowly add the molasses, then add the eggs and continue to mix.
In a separate bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together and add in to the cookie base.
Once combined, scoop cookies onto a sheetpan lined with parchment using a 2 oz portion scoop. Chill the scooped dough until firm. Then preheat your oven to 325 degrees.
Just prior to baking, roll each cookie dough ball in granulated sugar. Bake cookies at 325 degrees for 18-25 minutes, turning the pan halfway through. Cookies will be set around the edges but soft in the center.
Once cookies are cooled, roll in granulated sugar again.
