A culinary leverage ( Ginger choc crust cookies with eggnog shots and nutmeg)

Ginger chocolate coconut cookies with ganache and eggnog shots




Virgin eggnog shots

Okay! now you know my secret when I want something really bad, I make these cookies and use them as leverage. They are as sinful as my speculative motives!

This recipe was passed down to me by my Grandmother and now I share it with you. Please enjoy!


Please use organic ingredients when possible.

Ginger choc crust:
½ lb unsalted butter (room temp)
½ cup unrefined safflower oil or vegetable oil
2 very level teaspoons bicarbonate soda (baking soda)
½ cup superfine sugar
3-4 teaspoons ground ginger
1 egg
3 cups coconut powder (toast in oven at 350 until slightly golden, 10 minutes), then cool.
If you cannot find coconut powder, then use the regular coconut, toast it first and then process in food processor until fine.
3 teaspoons apricot preserves (cut whole apricots into smaller pieces)
4 cups cake flour
4 teaspoons Dutch cocoa powder

Method:

Cream butter, sugar, ground ginger and the apricot preserves. Cream well (4 minutes).
Add the egg, oil, and the soda and incorporate. Sift the flour and the cocoa. Add this plus the cooled coconut to the egg mixture and incorporate to form a soft dough. Let the dough stand overnight and bake next day.
Divide the dough into sections and roll out one section at a time to about 1/8 of inch. Using a fork scratch the surface of the dough until you have a rough texture. Cut out rounds with a 2 inch cookie cutter and using a smaller round cutter or just use a pastry tip, cut out smaller rounds out of these 2 inch rounds. Two of these cookies will be sandwiched together with some ganache. Bake the cookies for 15 minutes until slightly brown around the edges in a preheated 350 degrees oven.

Ganache:
Break up a 6.3 oz dark chocolate into squares in a small bowl. Heat ¼ cup heavy whipping cream until just boiling and add to the chocolate. The hot cream will melt the chocolate and then gingerly beat with a spoon until creamy. Let sit for about 20 minutes or until the chocolate is of spread able consistency and not runny. This recipe makes about 74 cookies and 37 sandwiched together.

I normally make these around the Holidays.
Nazarina A.