Spicy Gingerbread Thins

Spicy Gingerbread Thins
from Gourmet via Epicurious

Ingredients
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
3 tablespoons strong brewed coffee at room temperature
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh gingerroot
Parchment paper for lining baking sheets

Method
Into a bowl sift together flour, pepper, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg. In a small bowl stir together molasses and coffee. In a bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed beat together butter and brown sugar until light and creamy. With mixer at low speed beat in gingerroot. Beat in flour mixture alternately with molasses mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Divide dough into thirds. Form each third into a ball and flatten to form disks. Chill disks, wrapped separately in plastic wrap, at least 4 hours and up to 3 days.

Preheat oven to 350°F and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Break off egg-size pieces from 1 disk (keep remaining 2 disks chilled) and with heel of hand smear each piece once in a forward motion. Gather pieces together and give dough a few smears to bring together. Repeat procedure with remaining 2 disks.

On a lightly floured work surface roll out one third of dough into a 22- by 8-inch rectangle (about 1/8 inch thick), making sure dough is not sticking to surface (use a pastry scraper to lift dough; sprinkle surface with additional flour if sticking). With a 2-inch gingerbread man cutter or 3 1/2-inch candy cane cutter cut out shapes, transferring with a spatula to baking sheets and arranging about 1/2 inch apart.

Bake cookies in batches in lower third of oven 6 to 8 minutes, or until crisp (do not let cookies get too dark). With spatula transfer cookies to racks to cool. Make more cookies with scraps and remaining two thirds of dough in same manner. Cookies keep, in airtight containers at room temperature, 1 week.

I made these last winter, and they were delicious and very gingery-hot. An adult cookie. I cut them into stars and dusted with powdered sugar. This recipe says it makes ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY cookies, so cut it in half if necessary. Tip for peeling ginger: use a small spoon to scrape the peel, rather than a knife or a vegetable peeler. Much easier. I grated mine with a microplane.