A surprisingly simple recipe, Ginger Cookie Sticks require no eggs or other leavening. Much like Meltaway Cookies, these cookie sticks have a tender flaky texture with a light buttery crumb. Topped with candied ginger and sparkling sugar, Ginger Cookie Sticks are pretty and fragrantly festive, all without a lot of fuss.

A precarious stack of Ginger Cookie Sticks on a small wooden tray.

Christmas Cookies Without the Fuss

I loved Alanna’s comment yesterday. She wrote, “I always think that the first step in a cookie-baking marathon is putting on a pot of soup.” Sounds like a great idea. Soup’s on! Now let’s get down to the business of making those cookies.

Christmas is barely a week away and I have hardly started baking (or Christmas shopping, or mailing Christmas cards or … but that’s another story.) Then yesterday I knew a friend was stopping by. It seemed a shame not to have some homemade Christmas cookies to share. I wondered what I could make in a hurry, so I dug into my files and soon pulled out a recipe for Ginger Cookie Sticks.

This recipe clipping comes from an old issue of Family Circle magazine. I remember the cookies having a wonderfully deep, spicy, ginger flavor. What’s more, the decorative sugar crystals on the top make it sparkle with understated festive elegance. And even better, it is a bar cookie. The dough goes in a single 9″x13″ pan and bakes in just one batch.

Old Favorites

It turns out that Ginger Cookie Sticks have much in common with Meltaway Cookies. Like meltaways, they are made from a buttery dough that contain no eggs or other leavening agents. Another thing these two recipes share is the inclusion of cornstarch. This unusual ingredient adds the light texture and fine crumb that gives them that melt-in-your-mouth quality.

From there, Ginger Cookie Sticks add a few twists to the recipe. Instead of sweetening the dough with powdered sugar, this recipe relies on brown sugar and molasses to add flavor and a bit more weight to its fine crumb. Then it adds a significant amount of ground ginger, two full tablespoons, along with a measure of other Christmas spices. The spice blend gives Ginger Cookie Sticks a festive flavor and some lingering warmth. Even more ginger flavor comes from the finely chopped bits of crystallized ginger scattered across the top before baking. And finally, instead of rolling the dough into balls to bake as individually shaped cookies, this recipe is baked in a 9″x13″ pan. Halfway through baking the dough is topped with sparkling decorator sugar. Once removed from the oven and nearly cool it is cut into cookie sticks.

A row of Ginger Cookie Sticks on a wood tray on top of a red plaid napkin.

I guess they were a hit. Between my friends and family, most of my Ginger Cookie Sticks are gone this morning. Their tender buttery texture and big flavor was as delicious with my morning coffee as it was with the Mulled Cider I served them with yesterday. So that’s where I am starting today – Ginger Cookie Sticks: Batch 2. While they are baking I’ll work out what to try next.

Christmas Cookie Baking Marathon

If you are looking for more Christmas Cookies for your baking marathon you might want to try:

Chocolate Crinkles – These chewy chocolate cookies are covered in powdered sugar before baking to highlight the contrast between the dark cookie and the light sugar coating.
Russian Teacakes – A family favorite, these buttery nut cookies feature walnuts in a rich powdered sugar covered cookie ball.
Peppermint Dream Meringue Cookies – Candy canes flavor these meringues making them a good choice when you want a bite of something festively sweet but not too heavy.
Cranberry Pecan Cookies – Three Ways – Fresh cranberries give these cookies a bright tartness that offers a welcome contrast to many holiday treats.
Cinnamon Coffee Crisps – Cinnamon and espresso powder make these cookies deliciously flavorful. They are also pretty and easy to make.

Enjoy!