two words: ginger molasses

Maggie and I whipped up a batch of these babies last night. These cookies are one of my top 5 favorite cookie recipes and are the epitome of fall to me: ginger molasses. I like this name better than "gingersnaps" because a gingersnap denotes a store-bought-crunchy-not-fresh-taste in my mind. And these cookies are far from that. They are warm, chewy, but not gooey, and have the perfect texture and flavor meld. Plus, this recipe differs from a few others I have seen where others call for baking powder (not soda), white sugar for the brown (I prefer the brown), and no cloves (which I love in this spice medley).

Thanks to my good friend Rachel (baker and chef extraordinaire) for making them for Aron and me 4 years ago on a visit to Chicago; fall has never been the same.

Tell me you feel the same way. Oh, and I'm serving them up at our MOPS group tonight with a side of pumpkin dessert dip (seriously not-healthy, but so tasty especially with these cookies!).

Recipe:

¾ c. shortening

¼ c. molasses

1 c. brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. ground ginger

½ tsp. ground cloves

2 ¼ c. flour

¼ c. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients through the egg. Beat until well combined. Next, beat in 1 cup of flour at a time. Then, using your hands, add ¼ c. flour as necessary—you don’t want to the tough to be sticky (as you’ll be rolling it into balls), so add a little more flour, feel the consistency, and add enough until the dough does not stick to your fingers. You may add a little more or a little less than ¼ cup depending on how if feels.

Shape into 1-inch balls and roll into granulated sugar to coat. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes, until edges are set and tops are starting to crack (in my oven it’s usually around 8 minutes). Enjoy!