NYC Style Gingerbread Cookies

Heya,

Starbucks have stopped selling pumpkin spice and we have made way for toffee nut and gingerbread. It's officially November! November is full of my favourite recipes. Those wonderful festive smells incorporating ginger and cinnamon into everything. Having said this, I'm not a massive fan of gingerbread men as I find them to crunchy (don't ask). So when I saw these chewy looking gingerbread cookies at M&S I couldn't wait to make my own version. At just 22p per cookie (as of Aldi produce), these are a cheap and easy wintery bake to make whether a student trying to impress your housemates or a aspiring baking trying to impress your family. NYC cookies often totally omit caster sugar (which makes cookies crunchy) instead adding only brown sugar (the chewy agent) in order to get the perfect squishy cookie with a shell crispy outside but a slightly gooier inside. This spice blend (ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg) is the classic "gingerbread" blend and can be used in cake, cookies and even banana bread to give it that truly November feel. I like to add white chocolate for the sweetness whilst milk chocolate for the comfort however the chocolate content is full up to you! This recipe is the perfect first bake of winter so stay tuned for more festive bakes. I hope your kitchen smells as much like a Christmas scented candle as mine did.

 

Here is my recipe for NYC Style Gingerbread Cookies: 

Ingredients: (Makes 12) - total cost: £0.25 per cookie 

• 125g Butter, softened (£0.95)
• 175g Brown Sugar (£0.35)
• 1 Egg (£0.19)
• 1tsp Vanilla Extract (£0.11)
• 280g Plain Flour (£0.14)
• 1.5tsp Ground Ginger (£0.14)
• 1/2tsp Nutmeg (£0.05)
• 1/2tsp Cinnamon (£0.05)
• 1.5tsp Baking Powder (£0.03)
• 1/2tsp Baking Soda (£0.01)
• 1/2tsp Salt (£0.01)
• 100g Milk Chocolate, chopped (£0.49)
• 100g White Chocolate, chopped (0.49) (you can use chocolate chips for this but I prefer to use regular blocks as it melts better)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180'c, gas mark 4
2. In a large bowl, cream together the sugar and butter
3. Whisk in the egg and vanilla and continue to stir until all the lumps have gone
4. In a separate bowl, mix with a fork: the flour, spices, baking powder, soda and salt
5. Add the flour mixture into the butter mixture a few spoonfuls at a time until fully combined
6. Add in your chopped chocolate using a spatula to ensure its added properly to the mixture
7. Cling-wrap the dough and leave in the fridge for 20/30 minutes
8. Roll the dough into 12 equal balls (they should be about 70g each) and press firmly onto 2 greased baking trays - the cookies spread so have no more than 6 per tray
9. Bake for 11-13 minutes based on how chewy you like your cookies
10. Enjoy!!

Comment below if you have made this bake or have any questions!
Lottie X