Ginger Molasses Cookies

I love the smell of cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg at Christmas! Though these Ginger Molasses Cookies don’t have all of those elements, the smell as they’re baking makes me feel like curling up in front of the fireplace and listening to the wind howl, blowing the snow around the house. It is crucial to let the dough chill for at least 45 minutes to an hour as they will set nicely on the cookie sheet and not melt into a big puddle when baking. Once baked, these cookies keep all through the holidays for a nice, seasonal treat!

INGREDIENTS

1 1/4 cup Salted Butter – room temperature or softened is best

2 cups White Sugar

2 large Eggs

3/4 cup Molasses

4 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 tablespoon ground Cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground Ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup coarse Sugar for rolling the tops of the cookies in

In your kitchen mixer, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter for about a minute until whippy and smooth. Gradually add the sugar, keeping the mixing speed at medium, stopping once or twice to scrape down the side of the mixing bowl. Add the eggs, one at a time and scrape down the sides until mixed in. Add the molasses, stopping several times to scrape down the sides until the colour of the molasses is consistent throughout the batter.

Combine remaining dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Whisk together gently and add to the wet ingredients all at once.

Work the mixer at low speed, scraping down the sides until the dry ingredients are combined with the wet and the colour is uniform throughout.

Leaving the dough in the mixing bowl, cover the top with plastic wrap so that it is airtight and place in refrigerator for 45 minutes to an hour. You can also leave the dough in for several hours if you don’t have time to work with it right away.

When you are ready to work with your dough, preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into small balls, just a bit larger than walnuts. Dip each ball of dough into the coarse sugar and place unsugared side down on the baking sheet. For a regular sized baking sheet, space the cookies three to a row to make a dozen. This recipe makes about 4 dozen cookies.

Slide into oven on middle rack and set the timer for 10-11 minutes. The cookies will flatten as the bake and crackle in the centre. Do not leave them in any longer as they will lose the chewy centre that these cookies are known for. Let them cool on the baking sheet – usually 10-15 minutes – do not remove to put on cooling rack. If you remove them earlier, they will not set or retain their shape.