How to replicate the famous cookies of this historic golf club

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While there’s never a bad time for a well-made gingerbread cookie, fall seems to call a little louder for those nice, sweet, spiced flavors. Coincidentally, the fall is when Florida Mountain Lake Golf Club reopens after a 26-week hiatus in late spring and summer, and the historic club — known for its enviable Seth Raynor-designed course — is almost as famous for its gingerbread. Seriously, the pro shop even sells golf belts embroidered with an uncanny woven likeness of those cookies.

Naturally, I turned to the club to learn a few tricks of the trade when it comes to beating a bunch of these scumbags. Unsurprisingly, the club wasn’t willing to share the specific recipe it uses – I can’t blame them for that – but the club’s assistant general manager, Aaron Langley, did reveal some very important tips. He even shared the club’s secret ingredient – ​​fresh, high-quality grated ginger. He just didn’t specify how much he would use.

So while I can’t give you a step-by-step guide to making the exact gingersnap cookies that Mountain Lake serves, I can offer the next best thing: expert instructions for making your own unique batch of gingersnaps—cookies that can become famous in their own right.

A golden ratio

Mountain Lake can be tight-lipped about its recipe, but the club is happy to help amateur bakers appreciate the most readily available recipes out there. As Langley admits, cookie recipes are all based on ratios, and for gingerbread cookies, the most critical ingredients are defined as: 1 part butter, 1.5 parts sugar, 2.5 parts flour, and 1 part molasses (flavored and raised using baking soda and ginger). Using this ratio, if a recipe looks noticeably out of balance, Langley says that “could be a sign to walk away.”

That said, he’s also quick to point out that there really isn’t a universal red flag when it comes to evaluating a prescription’s supposed efficacy. “A large part of baking success depends on how the recipe is executed,” he explains. “A good prescription in one person’s hands can fall into another’s hands if not followed carefully.”

A measured approach

Even if you’re armed with a reliable ratio for your ingredients, your baking efforts can go awry based on how you measure those ingredients. “The American system of using tea cups and spoons can lead to differences in results,” Langley admits. “For consistent baking, measuring in grams is much more accurate and helps avoid over- or under-measuring critical ingredients.”

Molasses makes the difference

“In general, you want a dark, sulfur-free molasses that gives crunch, color and warmth without making your cookie bitter,” says Langley, who likes Grandma’s Original Sulfur-Free Molasses, Brer Rabbit Full Flavor Molasses, and Golden Barrel Sulfur-Free Baking Molasses. “But avoid Blackstrap (molasses-style),” he adds, “unless you want a sharp, earthy flavor.” If you do, Langley warns, you’ll need to add more sugar for balance.

Do not overwork your dough

According to Mountain Lake’s assistant GM, a common mistake home bakers make when baking cookies is overworking the dough, which can lead to gummy or dry cookies. “The more you work your dough, the more gluten develops,” he explains. “As a rule of thumb, you want minimal gluten in cookies because it will make them hard instead of soft, dense instead of crisp, and chewy and puffy instead of evenly spread.

What are the warning signs, you ask? Dough that feels elastic or springy to the touch. Dough that looks shiny, sticky, or sticky. (It should have a matte finish.) And if your cookies don’t spread much in the oven, chances are you overworked the dough.

To chew or to salt?

Not everyone likes the same type of cookie, especially when it comes to how it’s eaten. Soft and chewy is ideal for some; others prefer a fresher bite. Fortunately, steps can be taken to easily end up in either outcome.

For fresh ginger mushrooms, Langley likes to use butter instead of shortening. “It will make a huge difference in taste and spread,” he says. Similarly, replace baking powder with baking soda. “It helps spread and contributes to that cracked surface and deep color.” Finally, set the oven to 325 degrees and bake your dough for 14 to 17 minutes.

If you like a nice, smooth chew, Langley encourages using brown sugar in addition to granulated sugar, weighting it down a bit with the amount of molasses, reducing the flour and adding an egg. Counterintuitively, soft and chewy gingerbread cookies also need to be baked at a slightly higher temperature than crunchy ones, just for less time. Langley bakes his for just 9 to 11 minutes at 350 degrees.