Thin, slightly chewy and with a deep, dark spiced flavour that’s not too sweet, these more-ish cookies are created by Tom Moore, cofounder of Crust Bakery, proprietor of Tombo Eats (which recently closed its downtown location) and author of the excellent new cookbook, Crust (Appetite by Random House).
Makes about 25 cookies
Cookies:
- 830 g (6 cups) all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
- 27 g (¼ cup) cocoa powder
- 10 g (2 tsp) baking soda
- 10 g (1 Tbsp) ground ginger
- 3 g (1 tsp) ground cinnamon
- 1 g (½ tsp) ground cloves
- 5 g (1 tsp) kosher salt
- 3 g (1 tsp) ground black pepper
- 300 g (1½ cups or 3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 318 g (1½ cups, packed) dark brown sugar
- 353 g (1 cup) molasses
- 22 g (2 Tbsp) finely grated fresh ginger root
- 73 g (4 large) egg yolks
Rum butter glaze:
- 80 g ( cup) confectioners (icing) sugar
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 15 g (1 Tbsp) unsalted butter, melted and warm
- 1 Tbsp dark rum (or, if you prefer, good quality vanilla extract)
- 1 tsp warm water
For the cookie dough: In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper. Set aside.
In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat together the butter, both sugars, molasses and fresh ginger on medium-high speed until smooth and incorporated, about 1 minute.
With the machine running on medium speed, add egg yolks one at a time. Continue beating until fully combined, another minute or two.
Turn the machine off and add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Carefully switch the mixer on to low speed. Mix just until the mixture comes together; do not overmix.
Remove the bowl from the mixer and scrape the mixture onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently knead the dough until well combined. This should only take a few pushes and pats — don’t overwork the dough.
Flatten the dough to about 1-inch thickness. Wrap in plastic film and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 3 days.
Set the oven to 350°F (or 335°F for convection) and line two baking sheets with parchment.
Cut the dough into 4 pieces and keep them in the fridge until you are ready to roll them.
On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick. (If you like, create imprints by lightly flouring the dough and using cookie stamps or a textured rolling pin — press quite firmly so the imprints don’t disappear as the dough will rise during baking.)
Cut out cookies using a fluted 3- to 4-inch cookie cutter and transfer to lined baking sheets, spaced about 2 inches apart. Collect all the scraps and gently knead them together again, making sure not to incorporate too much flour or you’ll get a dry and brittle cookie. Wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling.
Place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating halfway through, until firm to the touch, and transfer to a wire rack. They will continue to firm up while cooling so don’t overbake!
For the glaze: In a small microwave-proof bowl, sift together the confectioners sugar and cinnamon. Add melted butter, rum (or vanilla) and hot water. Mix until smooth. The consistency should be like runny honey; add more water if needed.
While the cookies are still warm, about 5 minutes after they come out of the oven, apply the glaze with a pastry brush. Cool completely on the wire rack.
Note: If the glaze gets too cool to brush, pop it into the microwave for a few seconds and stir well.
Tom Moore’s ginger cookies are the perfect blend of warmth and spice, offering a deeply satisfying taste experience. This recipe is part of a series of decadent, holiday-inspired treats you can easily recreate at home.
If you’re craving more sweet inspiration for the season, check out our “Cookies That Wow!” article for expert pastry chef tips on creating impressive cookies, or indulge in the minty goodness of our “Mint Chocolate Sandwich Cookies” recipe.
Each bite is a journey into indulgence—perfect for sharing or enjoying on your own. Get baking and make this holiday season extra special!
Photo of Tom Moore by Jeffrey Bosdet