12 Days of Christmas Cookies Day 9: Soft Ginger Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting

It is Day 9 of my 12 Days of Christmas Cookies bonanza, and I have found heaven.  And it is in the form of a cookie.  I warn you: if you eat these cookies, you will become addicted.  There is no going back.  You will dream about them at night, and think about them all day long.  You will yearn for another hit of browned butter and gingery cookie heaven. 

These Soft Ginger Cookies with Browned Butter Frosting are brand new to me....and this recipe is a keeper!  I have always made gingersnap cookies with molasses and cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and all those beautiful Christmas spices.  These cookies do not contain any of the above.  They are purely flavored with ginger and brown sugar.   

These cookies have a double dose of ginger.  They contain ground ginger, which gives the cookies a spicy, Christmassy flavor.  They also contain finely chopped candied ginger, which gives the cookies a different gingery flavor than your typical gingersnap-type of flavor.  The candied ginger has a really fresh zip to it, almost like a bite...but not quite.  It really adds another dimension to the cookies.

The frosting.  Oh my goodness.  If you have never heard of browned butter, you are missing out.  It is butter, but better!  Butter to the power of butter.  (Sorry, my nerdy scientist side came out for a second.  It's gone now).  Browned butter is butter which is simmered until it takes on a darker, brown color, and a beautiful nutty flavor.  The browned butter gives this frosting a totally amazing, highly addictive, super awesomely fantastic flavor.

The combination of the browned butter frosting with the gingery bite of the cookies is a match made in heaven.  They compliment each other so well.  I can say no more other than this: Make. These. Cookies.

Soft Ginger Cookies (Makes around 35 cookies)

• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
• 2 tbsp granulated sugar

Recipe from Betty Crocker.

Pre-heat oven to 375 F.  In a large bowl, cream together brown sugar and butter.  Add vanilla and egg, and mix well.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and ground ginger.  Add crystallized ginger and mix well.  Add dry ingredients in two batches to the wet ingredients.

Form tablespoon sized balls and place on a parchment-lined cookie tray.  Spray the flat bottom of a glass with non-stick oil.  Press into a bowl filled with granulated sugar.  Press onto cookies to flatten.

Bake for 7-8 minutes, until cookies are slightly brown around the bottom edge.  Cool on a wire rack before frosting.

Browned Butter Frosting (Makes around 1 cup)

• 3 cups of icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3-4 tablespoons milk
• 1/3 cup butter

Recipe from a different Betty Crocker recipe.

In a medium bowl, combine icing sugar, vanilla, and 2 tablespoons of milk.  

In a small pot, melt butter over medium heat.  Stirring constantly, simmer for several minutes (around five minutes), until it starts to turn brown.  There may be some floating brown bits, that is good!  Be very careful not to burn the butter.

When butter is browned, pour immediately into the dry ingredients and beat together.  Add more milk until the frosting reaches the desired consistency.