GINGER MOLASSES COOKIES

It has been cold and rainy here the past few days, so naturally all I want to do is watch Christmas movies and bake! And that’s just what I’ve been doing! One of my favorite holiday traditions is making a huge assortment of Christmas cookies and candies to eat the whole week of Christmas.

In our family, no Christmas cookie platter is complete without molasses cookies. I’ve tried many different variations of these cookies in the past, and let me just say, this recipe is the absolute BEST. The cookies are soooo soft and chewy, and the flavor is perfection. I love to dip mine in melted white chocolate and add some sprinkles to make them even more delicious and festive, but they are honestly perfect as they are! Store them in an airtight container on your counter, and they’ll stay soft all week long! But you’ll eat them all before you ever have to worry about them going bad.

Last year I put a few of these in a baggy with some homemade caramels and white chocolate caramel pretzels and gave them to our friends and neighbors! Countless people told me they were the best cookie they had ever had, and I have to agree! Make these! I promise you won’t regret it!

Ginger Molasses Cookies
yield: 4-5 dozen

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups butter

• 2 cups brown sugar, packed

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup molasses

• 4 1/2 cups flour

• 2 t cinnamon

• 2 t ground ginger

• 1 t ground cloves

• 4 t baking soda

• 1/2 t salt

• granulated sugar for rolling

• white chocolate chips or Ghiradelli white melting chips and sprinkles (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. In a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip the butter on high. Add sugar and cream together.

3. Add eggs and molasses and whip once more.

4. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients and stir to combine.

5. Turn mixer on low and slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients. Mix until just barely combined.

6. Roll dough into 1 inch balls, roll in sugar, and place on a greased baking sheet.

7. Bake for 7-9* minutes and leave on the pan for one minute before moving to a wire rack to cool. *My cookies were done in about 7.5-8 minutes, but every oven is different, so set the timer to 7 minutes, keep your eye on them and adjust the time accordingly after you see how the first batch cooks. They will still look fluffy and slightly undercooked when they come out, but they’ll flatten and stiffen slightly as they cool.

8. Optional: Allow cookies to cool completely before dipping in the white chocolate. For white chocolate chips, melt in a double boiler. If using white melting chips, simply follow the directions on the back of the bag to melt the chocolate. Dip half the cookie in the melted chocolate, place flat on a piece of parchment paper, and add the sprinkles right away. Let chocolate harden before eating (vanilla melting chips harden more quickly than white chocolate, but they do have a slightly different flavor)