Mrs. Bean's Sourdough Ginger Apple Snaps
These sourdough ginger apple snaps are crisp at the edges, chewy in the center, and warmly spiced with ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon, and molasses – each one topped with a thin baked apple slice. Inspired by Mrs. Bean's famous cookies from Fantastic Mr. Fox and made with sourdough discard for a deeply flavored cottage kitchen fall cookie worth baking every year.
Servings: 24 cookies
Calories: 134kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large mixing bowl
- 1 Medium Mixing Bowl
- 1 Whisk
- 1 stand mixer or hand mixer
- 1 Baking sheet
- 1 sheets parchment paper
- 1 cookie scoop
- 1 mandolin or sharp knife
- 1 Wire Cooling Rack
Ingredients
- 2¼ cups all-purpose flour 280 grams
- 10 tablespoons salted butter 170 grams (room temperature)
- ¼ cup old-fashioned molasses 113 grams (not blackstrap)
- ¾ cup granulated sugar 150 grams (plus ½ cup for rolling)
- ¼ cup light brown sugar 50 grams (lightly packed)
- ¼ cup sourdough starter or discard 60 grams (room temperature)
- 1 large egg 50 grams (room temperature)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda 10 grams
- 1½ teaspoons ground ginger 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 grams
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt 3 grams
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg 1 gram (freshly grated preferred)
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 0.5 grams
- 2 large red apples sliced ¼ inch thick (Honeycrisp preferred)
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice 10 grams (for apple slices)
Instructions
- Pre-bake the apple slices – Preheat oven to 300°F. Toss apple slices with lemon juice and arrange on a parchment-lined sheet. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes until just softened. Pat dry completely and cool before using.
- Cream butter and sugars – Beat room temperature butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together until pale and aerated.
- Add wet ingredients – Mix in the molasses, egg, vanilla extract, and sourdough discard until fully combined.
- Combine dry ingredients – In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt.
- Make the dough – Gradually add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Chill – Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat – Preheat oven to 350°F and line a baking sheet with parchment.
- Shape and coat – Scoop dough into balls, roll in coarse sugar, and place 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet.
- Add apple slices – Press one pre-baked, completely dry apple slice gently onto each dough ball.
- Bake – Bake at 350°F for 15 to 22 minutes until edges are set and tops show light crackling. Centers will look slightly soft.
- Cool – Cool on the pan for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack.
Notes
Pre-bake the apple slices – This is non-negotiable for preventing soggy centers. Pat them completely dry after pre-baking and cool before pressing onto the dough.
Chill overnight for the best flavor – The molasses and spice develop significantly with an overnight rest. Worth the wait.
Do not overbake – Pull when the edges are set and the tops crackle. The cookies firm up as they cool. Overbaking produces crisp rather than chewy.
Use old-fashioned molasses – Blackstrap is too bitter. Old-fashioned unsulfured molasses only.
Nutrition
Serving: 24g | Calories: 134kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 145mg | Potassium: 74mg | Fiber: 0.4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg