Gingerbread cookies with fresh ginger

Ingredients:

• 270 g premium wheat flour
• 1.5 tsp of baking soda
• 1 tbsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp coarse salt
• 200 g dark brown sugar
• 140 g unsalted butter at room temperature
• 85 g of black molasses by weight
• 1 large egg at room temperature
• 2 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
• 110 g finely chopped candied ginger
• Sugar sprinkles for decoration (optional)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 180C.
2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, cloves and salt.
3. Place the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. Using the pastry attachment, beat everything on low speed for 1-2 minutes, until the mixture is light and fluffy. Add the molasses, egg, and fresh ginger and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the candied ginger and mix well with a rubber spatula. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until the batter is smooth.
4. Drop 2 teaspoons of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 5 cm apart. Place the baking sheet in the center of the oven and bake for 12 minutes for softer cookies or 15 minutes for crispier ones. Rotate the baking sheet 180°C (350°F) halfway through baking.
5. Remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle with sugar (optional), and let them cool on the baking sheet for 30 seconds. Then transfer them to a wire rack and let them cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough. Store the cookies in an airtight container for up to 10 days. If desired, you can transfer the dough to a baking sheet and freeze the cookies. Then store them in a plastic bag. Bake straight from the freezer.