These chewy ginger cookies are full of molasses and holiday spices. extra credit: they will make your house smell like a winter wonderland.
Yields 24 cookies, about 40 mins start to finish.
PARTS
— 3 cups (375g) all purpose flour
— 3/4 cup (150g) dark brown sugar, packed (light is fine, too)
— 3/4 tsp baking soda
— 1 tbsp ground ginger
— 1 tbsp ground cinnamon
— 1 tsp ground cloves (+/or ground nutmeg)
— 1 tsp salt
— 12 tbsp (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
— 3/4 cup mollases
— 3 tbsp milk (any kind works)
— Small bowl of granulated sugar (about 1/2 cup)
— Small bowl of confectioners sugar (about 1/2 cup)
CLUES
1. In a large bowl mix the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt until combined.
2. Add in the cold butter pieces. Use a pastry cutter (or your fingers!) to cut the butter and work the mix until the butter is incorporated and the dough becomes homogeneous and sandy (the butter pieces should be pea sized).
3. Add the milk and then the molasses. Mix with a rubber spatula until the dough is evenly moistened.
4. Divide the dough in half, and shape those halves into two round disks, about .5 inch thick. Cover them in plastic wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. This ensures the cookies have a chewy center... v high priority.
5. While the cookies freeze, preheat the oven to 350 and line cookie sheets with parchment.
6. Roll the cold dough into 2 inch balls, being careful to keep the dough cold. No dilly dallying here, when the dough gets too warm it sticks to everything. Coat each ball in the granulated sugar, and then coat in the confectioners sugar (I like to make this a nice, thick layer.. better looking crackle!). Place balls on prepared cookie sheets about an inch apart.
7. Bake 10-12 minutes. Cool on the sheets for 2 mins, then transfer to a wire rack until fully cool. Store these puppies in an airtight container at room temp for up to a week.
* If you can, bake one batch at a time in the middle rack of your oven, leaving remaining dough in the freezer until ready to roll out. You'll have the best results.
* If your dough gets too warm and sticky, put it back in the freezer for a few mins or put the entire sheet of cookies in the fridge for 10 mins before baking.