Lemon Ginger Cookies with Crystallized Ginger

At work we were having a celebration for one of my colleagues who is having a baby! I didn’t have too many specific requests but wanted to avoid chocolate if possible. I came across a couple of recipes and ended up choosing a lemon ginger shortbread that I had been waiting to make. Since I only needed to change the butter to vegan butter, I also made these dairy free (except for the egg). I made the slice and bake cookie dough and then baked the cookies, but they baked too long. They looked fine on top, but the bottoms were burned.

I had to go with Plan B, which is a cookie with crystallized ginger, and to honor the original cookies, I added lemon zest to the dough and added a lemon glaze to them. They don’t look the same, but they have the same flavors, and that’s good. This dough came together with no issue, and the cookies came out of the oven nice and crinkly, which was perfect. I could have left of the glaze, but I wanted to include more lemon flavor in these cookies.

You do need to be thoughtful when baking with vegan butter. For the most part it works just like butter, but I do think the original shortbread I made browned too quickly because the vegan butter acts just a little differently. For the glaze, I used the glaze from the original recipe. It called for lemon juice, but I needed to thin it a touch so I had purchased some non-dairy milk that I could use. When I dipped the cookies, I suppose that the glaze could have been thicker, but it still worked well.

Lemon Ginger Cookies with Crystallized Ginger
120 grams butter or vegan butter
200 grams sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon zest
250 grams flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground ginger
150 grams finely chopped crystallized ginger
2 cups powdered sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
Pinch of salt
Additional lemon juice or milk, as needed

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

In a large mixer bowl, combine the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Beat on medium until light. Add the egg and lemon zest and mix again to combine. With the mixer running on low, gradually add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and ginger. Mix on low until the dough almost comes together. Add the chopped crystallized ginger and mix again, on low, until the dough is cohesive.

Shape the dough into 1-1/4” balls and place on the prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, until the cookies are set and beginning to turn golden. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the glaze: in a medium bowl combine the powdered sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Whisk until a smooth glaze forms, thinning with additional lemon juice or milk if needed. Dip the cooled cookies halfway into the glaze, wiping off any excess. Allow the cookies to set on a wire rack before serving.

Recipe from Where is My Spoon? Glaze recipe from King Arthur Flour