Double-Ginger Sugar Cookies

Total: 1 HR 15 MIN

2 ½  cups all-purpose flour            
1/3  cup finely chopped crystallized ginger (3 ounces)
1 ½  teaspoons ground ginger
½  teaspoon baking soda
½  teaspoon salt
2 sticks ( ½  pound) unsalted butter, softened
1 ¼ cups sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1.      In a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the crystallized and ground ginger, baking soda and salt. In a standing electric mixer in a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy about 3 minutes. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla, scraping the side and bottom of the bowl. Beat in the dry ingredients at medium-low speed. Divide the dough in half. Pat each half into a round, wrap them in plastic and refrigerate the dough for 15 minutes.

2.      Preheat the oven to 350° Position the racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. On a lightly floured surface, roll out each piece of cookie dough Vs inch thick. Using a 2-inch biscuit cutter, stamp out rounds as close together as possible. Arrange the rounds on large baking sheets about 1 inch apart. Gather the scraps and reroll them, cutting out more cookies.

3.      Bake the cookies in batches for about 20 minutes, until golden; shift the pans from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking. Transfer to wire racks and let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes, then transfer the cookies direcly onto the racks and let them cool completely.

Hazelnut-nutella sandwich cookie variation In a food processor, finely grind  2/3 cup roasted and salted hazelnuts. Replace both gingers with the ground hazelnuts. Sandwich the cooled cookies with Nutella or another chocolate spread.

Cocoa NIB-CHOCOLATE chip COOKIE VARIATION Finely chop two 3-ounce milk chocolate bars with cocoa nibs. Replace both gingers with the chopped chocolate and nibs, folding them in after beating in the dry ingredients.

Coconut-raspberry thumbprint variation Replace both gingers with ¾ cup shredded unsweetened coconut. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and bake for 14 minutes. Make a dent in the cookies. Then fill them with jam and bake for about 10 minutes.

MAKE AHEAD The baked, cooled cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week or wrapped in plastic and foil and then frozen for up to 1 month. Thaw in the refrigerator, then bring to room temperature.