Winner:
Congrats to Ashlee M. and Mike T. for submitting the winning cookie: Espresso Gingerbread Cookies. You two won a $100 gift card to The Country Bookshop and bragging rights for the next year. We had a dozen entries but judges perked up at the presentation of this cookie and again once they tasted that hint of espresso. It also received high scores on originality and texture.
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 sticks salted butter, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 2-4 tablespoons espresso powder or instant coffee powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 2 1/4 cups, plus 1-2 tablespoons, as needed all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- granulated sugar
BROWN BUTTER ICING
- 1 stick salted butter, at room temperature
- 1 1/2 -2 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoos milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- 1 pinch cinnamon
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. 2. In a mixing bowl, beat together the butter, brown sugar, espresso, and vanilla until light and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the egg, mixing to combine. Then, add the molasses and mix to combine. Add the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt, beating until combined. 3. Place the sugar in a small bowl. 3. Roll the dough into tablespoon-size balls (if the dough is too sticky, add 2-4 additional tablespoons flour), then roll through the sugar. Place on the prepared baking sheet, spacing the cookies 2 inches apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies are just starting to set around the edges, the centers should be a little doughy. Let cool on the pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes, until just set.5. Meanwhile, make the icing. Add the butter to a pot set over medium heat. Allow the butter to brown lightly until it smells toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Let cool 5 minutes. Whisk in the powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, a pinch of cinnamon, and salt. Immediately spread the icing over the cookies, it will set quickly.
Runner Up:
Chocolate Ganache Thumbprints. The packaging was adorable and the cookie was cute, too, but some of our judges found them to be too rich. Are most of our judges weak? At least one of them thinks so. Anyway, this was a strong contender.
Honorable mention:
This husband/wife duo each brought in an entry, which is pure dedication. One wasn’t a cookie so it was ineligible (but still super yummy!)
