Juliana Skiffle (Ginger 'n Lime)

I know. You're probably wondering who the hell Juliana Skiffle is and what she has to do with cookies. Well, it's kinda simple, but you'll have to bear with me.

This ginger and lime cookie is inspired by the ginger ale and lime drink that Juliana Skiff, a recurring character in the final season of The Sopranos, orders at The Bada Bing in the episode "Johnny Cakes." I had never heard of that combo before and couldn't wait to try it. It's still my "cocktail" of choice.

I got the "Skiffle" part from Tony Soprano's malapropism of Juliana's name when he introduces her to Carmella at Christopher's wake in the episode "Kennedy and Heidi."

A little too much detail? Yes, I am a geek. Full disclosure though: Jon and I watch an episode or two of The Sopranos every night before falling asleep. If the power ever goes out, we'll entertain each other for hours doing Sopranos finger-puppet theater.

These cookies are so good. They're loaded with flavor and have the perfect crispy/chewy texture. As usual, I use multiple forms of an ingredient to pump up the flavor: powdered ginger, crystallized ginger, ginger beer, and ground-up ginger snaps. And then there's the lime: zest, juice, and extract. A touch of cinnamon, nutmeg, and honey round out the mix. A roll in turbinado sugar gives the cookies a nice shine and a crispy finish.

Creamables	2 sticks butter 1 1/4 cups white sugar 1 cup dark brown sugar
Wet Ingredients	2 egg yolks 1/2 cup ginger beer 3 tablespoons lime extract 3 tablespoons lime zest 1 tablespoon lime juice 1 tablespoon honey
Dry Ingredients	3 cups oatmeal 2 1/2 cups finely ground ginger snaps 1 1/2 cups flour 1 tablespoon roughly chopped crystallized ginger 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ginger 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Topping	3/4 cup turbinado sugar

1. In your Kitchen Aid or a large mixing bowl, cream together the creamables.
2. In a small bowl, combine the wet ingredients and whisk together until smooth.
3. Add the combined wet ingredients to the creamables. Mix together until well incorporated.
4. In a large mixing bowl, add the dry ingredients. Using a spatula, fold together until evenly distributed.
5. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the combined creamables and wet ingredients. Mix until evenly combined.
6. Preheat oven to 350º.
7. Refrigerate the dough for 30 minutes (to allow the flavors to mingle).
8. Shape dough into balls--about 2 tablespoons each.
9. Roll each dough ball evenly in turbinado sugar.
10. Place dough balls about 2 inches apart on Silpat- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.
11. Bake at 350º for 10-12 minutes or until golden brown. Remove the cookie sheets from the oven and let stand for 2 minutes. Then place cookies on wire racks to cool.