Ginger Oatmeal Crisps

As it seems to be the case every summer, the weather in the Seattle area is so strange and unexpected. We have had cool temperatures and rain, which I suppose isn’t that odd for Seattle, but not what we expect in May and June. Then we had a couple of days of 90+ degree temperatures. But then back to cooler weather and hopefully it’s going to settle into a more reasonable pattern of sunny, but not too hot, days.

When it is hot in the house, I can’t bake, and I miss it! Once it cooled down the first thing I wanted to do was bake cookies. I decided to make these oatmeal cookies. The original recipe called for orange zest, which I didn’t have, so I omitted that and followed the advice I found in a blog comment about adding candied ginger. More ginger is always a good thing!

This recipe is slightly different, in that there are more oats and just a small amount of flour. When I had mixed up the ingredients, the dough looked soft, so I decided to refrigerate it for 30 minutes. That helped to firm up the dough, but these cookies do spread while baking. The second tray of cookies I made smaller, but they spread and looked about the same! When they came out of the oven, I used a small metal spatula to separate any cookies that had decided to connect to other cookies. Once cooled, you couldn’t even tell. These end up as a thin, buttery cookie with the perfect touch of ginger.

Ginger Oatmeal Crisps
2 cups old fashioned oats
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg
2 tablespoons finely chopped candied ginger

In a large mixer bowl, mix together the oats, sugar, brown sugar, flour, ginger, and salt. Stir to combine, but don’t be concerned that the mixture is dry and sandy. Add the melted butter and egg and stir to incorporate. Fold in the chopped candied ginger.

Refrigerate the mixture for 30 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Line two baking sheets with silicone baking mats.

Scoop the dough onto the prepared baking sheets, allowing extra room between the cookies as they spread while baking.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through the baking time. The cookies will be golden around the edges. Remove from the oven and gently shape any cookies that have spread too much during baking. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

Recipe from A Communal Table