Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Taste Tip: This dough must be prepared in advance. This is a traditional Slovakian cookie (pronounced ZAHZ-vor-ni-kee).
2½ cups flour, plus extra for rolling dough
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 tablespoon baking powder
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
Directions
Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ginger and baking powder, and reserve. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat eggs, egg yolks and butter until creamy, about 2 minutes. Add powdered sugar and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low, add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated.
On a lightly floured pastry board, with lightly floured hands, knead dough well, adding flour if dough is sticky. Place dough in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
On a lightly floured pastry board, using a lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough to a ½-inch thickness. Cut dough with cookie cutters and place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets. Repeat with remaining dough, gathering up scraps, re-rolling and cutting until all dough is used. Cover baking sheets with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 10 to 12 minutes; cookies should double in height while baking, with the top half spongier than the bottom. Remove from oven and cool 2 minutes before transferring cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
2005 Finalist: Kevin Hurbanis of Minneapolis, Minnesota