Gingerbread Cookies

 
The Art.
    This holiday season, I wanted to make beautiful rolled gingerbread cookies with amazing royal icing lacework.  In the end it was nothing more than a disappointing case of unrealistic expectations set by Pinterest. However, I did manage to pull through with some cute royal icing designs, and the flavor of the cookies turned out wonderfully. To give these cookies a powerful gingerbread flavor, I used full-flavored dark molasses instead of light. I also introduced more ginger by adding some bubbly ginger ale to the royal icing before piping it onto the cookies. Edible pearls, a sprinkle of pearl dust, and some beautiful tins from the dollar store made for a great way to present these cookies to all my friends!

The Science.
    So, what is the difference between dark molasses and light molasses? Molasses is a byproduct of sugar production, made from the liquid produced when sugar cane juices are boiled to crystallize the sugar. The cane juice is boiled down several times during this process. The liquid from the first boil is light molasses, and contains the most sugar and has the lightest flavor. The second boil produces dark molasses, which is more full-flavored and has less sugar. Blackstrap molasses comes from the third boil...and is absolutely terrible and nobody should ever eat it.  Molasses gets its dark color by the Maillard reaction, the process that causes sugars to brown [1]. This is the same reaction that causes caramelization and browning in baked goods. The distinctive flavor of molasses is made up of a variety of compounds (there have been many publications on this topic), but is mostly due to dimethylsulfide that is produced by enzymes when the sugar cane leaves are crushed [2]. By using dark molasses in these cookies, we maximize the robust gingerbread flavor.

The Recipe.

Gingerbread Cookies: (Makes ~36 cookies)
2 3/4 cup flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg

    Combine flour, spices, and baking soda in a medium bowl. In a large bowl, beat together shortening, butter, and sugar until fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg until combined. Stir in the dry ingredients until combined, then form the dough into two 8 inch disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least one hour.
    Preheat oven to 350°F. Once chilled, roll one of the disks out between two pieces of waxed paper to approximately 1/8th inch thick. Cut out cookies with your favorite cutters and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake on center rack for 11-13 minutes. Cool cookies on wire racks before decorating. Gather together dough scraps and re-chill while you work with the other disk. Repeat until you have used up all the dough.

Ginger Royal Icing:

1 egg white

3 tablespoons ginger ale

3 to 4 cups powdered sugar

 

    Beat together egg white and ginger ale. Gradually add powdered sugar until the icing is slightly thicker than toothpaste. For flooding icing, you can add slightly more ginger ale so it's the consistency of ketchup (I know, gross thought). Divide and dye whatever colors you wish. For these colors, I used Wilton Icing Colors Sky Blue and No-Taste Red. If you're making red icing, keep in mind that dyes with Red 40 can impart a bitter flavor.

 

Decorating:
    The great thing about these cookies is you can decorate them any way you wish! Here, I used Wilton #1 and #2 tips. For directions on how to flood cookies, you can reference my Gluten-free Corset Cookies post. Place edible pearls on the cookies before the icing dries, and dust with the Wilton pearl dust using a small brush after they are completely dry. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature.
 

References:
1.  Steely, J.S. and Zeller, K.R. "Molasses Flavor Investigations with Sulfur Chemiluminescence Detection." Thermally Generated Flavors, ACS Symposium Series, 1993. Vol. 543.
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/bk-1994-0543.ch008
2.  Clarke, M.A. and Godshall, M.A. Chemistry and Processing of Sugarbeet and Sugarcane. Elsevier, 1987.

Braeburn Apple Pie

 
The Art.

    One of the perks of living in New York is that the apple picking is phenomenal. The first time we went to a Hudson Valley orchard I was astounded by the variety of apples. This is thanks to the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station at Cornell, where they have developed countless strains of fruits. I had the choice of picking hybrid pommes I had never heard of like Macoun and Mutsu. My family has always maintained that Granny Smiths the only apple suited for apple pies, but I found some beautiful Braeburns that were just tart enough. In my opinion, pies should be baked with apples with firm texture (not mealy like Delicious varieties) and with a tart flavor. For this pie, I use only half of the sugar and cinnamon that most recipes use, and add in some ground cardamom so that it has a bright, true apple flavor. The combination of cardamom and the fresh-picked apples gives this pie a light, aromatic taste.

The Science.

    While the perfect filling is important, we all know it's the crust that makes or breaks a pie. I always use my aunt's pie crust because it is the best I've ever had and it never fails. The secret is two ingredients: enough shortening to give an elephant cardiac arrest, and vinegar. Many pie crust recipes use butter, but I think it makes the crust too heavy and oily with all the saturated milkfat. Shortening, on the other hand, is made up of hydgrogenated vegetable fats that easily incorporate into the flour.

    The reason pie crust is flaky is because the shortening is worked into the flour, creating small beads of fat that are coated with flour. As the fat melts into the flour in the heat of the oven, it leaves behind small air pockets and creates "flakes." How tender these flakes are depends on how developed the gluten in the flour is. This is where the vinegar comes in. By making the crust acidic, the vinegar prevents the gluten protein from aggregating, or binding itself tightly. Less gluten aggregation means a more tender, flaky, delicious crust.

The Recipe.

Pie crust:

4 cups flour

1 3/4 cups shortening

1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg
2/3 cup water (as needed)

Combine flour, shortening, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Work the shortening into the flour with fingertips or a pastry cutter until crumbly. Fold in egg and vinegar, and just enough water until dough has a soft, elastic consistency. Refrigerate for one hour.

Apple filling:

6 cups fresh Braeburn apples (about 4 apples), peeled and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons tapioca

2 tablespoons water

1/3 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cardamom

2 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let stand for at least 15 minutes. 

Assembly:

    Preheat oven to 350°F and place rack in center position. Press 1/3 of the dough into the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan. Pour filling into pan. Roll out the remaining dough into an 1/8th-inch thick round between two pieces of waxed paper (this way you don't have to flour surfaces). You can cover the pie with this round, or you can cut it into strips for a lattice crust. For instructions on how make a lattice I refer you to a thorough post from thekitchn. Keep in mind that you will need to cut some vents in the top for steam to escape if you don't do a lattice. Trim excess dough off the sides and crimp the edges with a fork. (Side note: leftover crust also makes amazing savory empanadas!)

    For an extra touch, you can lightly brush the crust with beaten egg and sprinkle raw sugar on top. This will give you a beautiful shiny, golden sparkly pie. Bake for 45 minutes to one hour. If you notice the edges getting brown too quickly, you can cover them with foil and leave the center exposed to brown up some more.

    Cool pie on a wire rack for at least 20 minutes before serving. Pie is best served fresh and warm, but can be stored covered at room temperature for two days and moved to the refrigerator thereafter. To reheat, I like to bake individual slices in the toaster oven at 350°F for 2-5 minutes, as microwaving can make the crust soggy.