Spicy Hot Gingersnaps

Hot Gingersnap Cookies

A Spicy Hot Gingersnap recipe to delight all the heat fiends you know and love. If they need hot sauce for every meal then this cookie will make them exceedingly joyful.

The quick flavor of the ginger hits first and the slow tingle of heat will follow, and the combination is stellar.

 Spicy Hot Gingersnaps

My hot sauce loving husband was the impetus for these cookies. He loves and craves the heat of many different kinds of hot sauce. He even goes so far as too put it on his popcorn, a rather messy endeavor.

When I first thought of making spicy gingersnaps I was only thinking of using extra ginger for heat. Then I thought about my spicy husband and realized I needed to add more heat.

I could have used a little chipotle powder for smoky heat but I wanted straight-up heat so I went for cayenne pepper. It brings the heat, for sure.

Spiced Gingersnap Cookies

Using ginger AND cayenne makes for a tasty gingersnap cookie with different kinds of heat. The ginger is immediately apparent and the cayenne comes on slowly with a longer-lasting heat.

But they aren’t so hot they overwhelm the flavor of the gingersnaps. It’s a rather pleasant heat too, not painful.

If you don’t like heat you can leave out the cayenne and reduce the ginger to a more normal level to get a gentle gingersnap that even kids will ask for again and again.

Spicy Hot Gingersnaps are on my list of must-make Christmas Cookies and if you know someone who craves heat, the way my husband does, these might just be a perfect treat for them. And because it makes four dozen there are enough to share with several someones.

My OTHER favorite cookie this year are these my Texas Sheet Cake Cookies. Dense chocolate, smooth icing, and great flavor make these a family favorite!

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Spicy Hot Gingersnaps

Yield: 4 dozen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 13 minutes

Total Time: 23 minutes

A Spicy Hot Gingersnaps recipe to delight all the heat fiends you know and love, if they need hot sauce for every meal this cookie will make them joyful.

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Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 cup of butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2/3 cup white sugar, divided
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 2 egg whites

optional icing

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoons milk or a little more

Instructions

1. pre-heat the oven to 350˚
2. mix together the flour, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ground ginger, cayenne, salt, and baking soda, set aside
3. in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment beat the brown sugar, 1/3 cup white sugar, and butter until fluffy
4. mix in the molasses
5. add the egg whites and beat again
6. slowly add the flour mixture and stir until combined, you may wish to do this step by hand to ensure all the ingredients get thoroughly mixed in, don't try to beat with your stand mixer
7. roll into 1 inch balls, yes really do make them one inch, they cook better
8. roll each ball in the extra sugar
9. bake for 10-11 minutes in a 350˚ oven
10. cool on wire rack
11. when cool, store in an airtight container for at least two days before serving
12. of course you can eat them right away but they really do taste better after ripening
13. if you want to ice them mix a cup of confectioners sugar with a small amount of milk and mix until its smooth, drizzle of the top of cookies
14. makes 4 dozen