White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps

Today, I am pretty pumped to share a guest post from my friend, Bekki, who writes Dear Lissy, a blog of letters to her daughter, Lissy, sharing great life lessons, homemaking tips, and of course, recipes. Bekki made these white chocolate dipped gingersnaps for the cookie swap last year, and I loved them. I asked her to share the recipe and her tips and used them to make a batch to show you step by step in pictures (taken by Travis). Hope you enjoy!Hi, I'm Andrea's friend, Bekki. We get to enjoy each others kiddos, crafts, and cooking in real life -- I am truly blessed! I'm married to a good man, and momma to two teenage boys and a tween daughter that's all glitter and giggles. I'm honored to be here at Piebirds for a visit today to share one of my favorite Christmas recipes, White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps. These soft chewy cookies are my go-to recipe for cookie exchanges, cookie platters, and even catering events for many reasons:
•Gingersnaps don't have to be chilled or rolled out. Cue the Hallelujah Chorus! With all the other fussy holiday cooking and baking, it's essential to have a basic drop cookie that can be made quickly.
•The recipe makes a whopping 10 dozen cookies (teaspoon size). I have a conviction about never giving away what I haven't first given at home. Dipped Gingersnaps allow me to fill my family's cookie jar and share with friends. *Note from Andrea - I consistently get 54 cookies using a standard size (1 tbsp) cookie scoop
•Every time you bake a batch, your home will smell like Christmas. Promise. Unless you burn them. But we won't go there, ok?
•Dipped Gingersnaps freeze exceptionally well, and can be made in stages over a three day period to spread out the work. They also stay fresh and soft for a long time so they can be shipped. I like that kind of flexibility during the holiday season.
•I don't know about your men, but mine insist on Instantly Recognizable Foodstuffs. If they can't tell by looking what something is, they won't even try it. White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps pass the IRF Radar with flying colors every time, making them ideal for buffet tables.
•Dipped Gingersnaps are a nice "filler" cookie at a cookie exchange or in a cookie tray assortment. They're plain enough to allow the fancy cookies to shine, but still pretty enough for a holiday event. They also function as decoys so you get more of Andrea's pizzelles and biscotti for yourself. But I digress.
•They are addictively yummy. When you dip soft chewy gingersnaps into white chocolate. . .well, let's just say it's a good thing the recipe makes several dozen cookies!
Before we go into Gingersnap overdrive, I need to mention that this recipe works best when baked on parchment paper or a Silpat. Gingersnaps will work on ungreased cookie sheets, but the to-die-for soft and chewy texture comes from using parchment or Silpat sheets.
Let's tie on an apron, crank the Christmas tunes, and get baking.
White Chocolate Dipped Gingersnaps
from Taste of Home

Ingredients:2 cups sugar
1-1/2 cups canola oil
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking soda
3 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. salt
Additional sugar
2 packages (10-12 ounces each) White Baking Chips
1/4 cup shortening

Directions:
•In a large bowl, combine the sugar and oil. Beat in the eggs. Stir in the molasses. I like to measure out the molasses in the same cup as the oil so that it all comes out easily. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. At this point you can refrigerate the dough to bake later if time is short. Allow it to return to room temperature when you're ready to bake the cookies. •Shape dough into 3/4 in. balls and roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes or until cookie springs back when touched lightly. It should be just barely golden brown around the edges. If you want a crunchy cookie, allow them to remain in the oven until they turn a golden caramel color (an extra 3-4 minutes in my oven) before removing to wire racks to cool. At this point the cookies can be stored overnight at room temperature or for a couple of months in the freezer. •In a double boiler (place a small amount of water in a pan, and set a bowl over the top of the pan (do not let it touch the water in the pan) and slowly melt the chips and the shortening over low heat; stir until smooth. You can use the microwave instead of the double boiler method, but be careful not to burn the chocolate. Microwave the chips on 50% power in 30 second bursts since white chocolate likes to scorch. Even a few burnt chips spoil the bowl. Once the white chocolate is smooth and creamy, dip the cookies about halfway into the melted chips, and allow the excess to drip off. Place on waxed paper (or silpat, or parchment paper). When the coating mix starts to cool off, it will get thick. I usually have to zap the white chocolate for about 15 seconds halfway through dipping to keep it thin enough to finish all 10 dozen. You may have to spoon coating onto the last few cookies depending on the shape of your bowl. Don't worry: dipping goes wicked fast. I can dip all 10 dozen in less than 10 minutes.
•Let the dipped cookies stand until set. The white chocolate will change from shiny to dull when dry and set. The cookies can be frozen at this point and brought to room temperature to serve. I've also drizzled half the cookies with white chocolate and dipped the other half to make a more impressive presentation on a large tray. If you have any leftover white chocolate, break up half a cookie into the bowl and then spread the chocolate out on waxed paper for delicious piece or two of gingered break-up candy. Or dip dried apricots into the remaining chocolate, and on some place a pecan half on the top.
•This recipe supposedly makes 14 dozen, but I usually get 10 dozen max because of the dough snitching ninjas lurking in the dark corners of my kitchen and the slightly larger size my cookie scoop dips. Place in a tin, or tie a stack in a plastic bag and tie with a festive ribbon and give as a special treat.Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Thank you Bekki for a great recipe and post, and thank you Travis for the great pictures.