Toddler Tastes

I've raised 4 children through toddlerhood and each time have thought about writing a letter to General Mills thanking them for making Cheerios, thus helping to keep my children alive. They all seem to go through eating phases where only bland, safe food will pass their lips. Anything outside of the basic 4 food groups (Cheerios, cheese sticks, ketchup, and white bread) is met with suspicion and loathing. I've often wondered what people in countries famous for their spicy foods feed their toddlers. Can they really get toddlers to eat curry, kimchee, and jalapenos? Or do their offspring whine piteously for the local equivalent of Wonder Bread, too?

I think ginger is one of those tastes you have to work into. When they were little my children could only tolerate it in gingerale, the sugared drink barely resembling the root. It wasn't until they got older and developed a slightly more adventurous palate that they began to appreciate ginger. It's got zip, zing, and kapow (sounds like a breakfast cereal) and adds a wake-up call to any food you put it into, savory or sweet. Now we eat it in stir fries, on pizza, and, of course, in cookies.



This version of ginger cookies makes up big, chewy rounds, speckled with chunks of crystallized ginger for bursts of ginger flavor as you chew. With all that gingery goodness, they're the perfect after dinner treat. A digestive aid in a cookie. And since it's in a cookie, you could probably even get a toddler to try it. But if that child is anything like mine, there will be a small pile of ginger beside the plate when he's through.

Giant Gingersnaps
adapted from Great Cookies by Carole Walters

2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
1 Tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 cup unsalted butter, slightly firm
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup lightly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cider vinegar
3 Tbsp finely chopped crystallized ginger

1- Preheat the oven to 375 deg. F, with racks dividing the oven into thirds. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

2- Strain together the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.

3- In the bowl of an electric mixer, blend together the butter and the sugars on medium-low speed until creamy and lightened in color, 2 to 3 minutes.

4- Add the egg and mix until well combined, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides of the bowl and add the vanilla and cider vinegar. Mix for 1 minute longer. Reduce the speed to low and add the dry ingredients in three additions, mixing just until combined. Use a rubber spatula to blend inn the crystallized ginger.

5- Roll walnut-sized pieces of dough into balls about 1-1/4 inch across. Place the dough balls 2 inches apart on the cookies sheets. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until golden brown. Reducing the cooking time gives a chewier cookie, while a longer time gives a crispier cookie. Toward the end of the baking time, rotate the pans top to bottom and front to back.

6- Let the cookies rest on the sheets for 2 minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack.

These cookies can be stored in an airtight container, between layers of wax paper, for up to 3 weeks. Or they can be eaten and shared right away.