Christmas Cookie Countdown #7: Molasses Ginger Cookies

Nothing screams Christmas better than some molasses gingerbread cookies. These are a slight deviation from the traditional gingerbread cookie, but they have become pretty traditional around the holidays in my house because they're just that delicious (and I only started making them last Christmas!). Chewy with a subtle kick of ginger and coated in sugar, these are the perfect cookies to satisfy your sweet tooth after a savory holiday meal. And they're super-simple to make! Plus, the dough can be made a day ahead of time and popped in the fridge until you're ready to bake, making them even more friendly at this time of year when your schedule is more hectic than ever!

I usually halve the dough because 5 cups of sugar just intimidates me - that's going to yield way too big a batch for me to resist! But either way you go is fine... I do like to halve the recipe and go generous on the spices to ensure I've got big flavor though. For the original high-yield recipe (which actually was an adaptation of a Martha Stewart recipe), click on the link but for my slightly doctored and significantly smaller recipe (still clocking in at over 4 dozen cookies!), just scroll down!

Chewy Molasses Ginger Cookies

adapted from Food for Poems

Ingredients

• 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Zest of one orange
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp allspice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Turbinado or demerara sugar for coating in

Directions

1. In large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar.
2. Add eggs and stir until blended.
3. Add molasses, vanilla, and orange zest, stirring to incorporate.
4. Sift together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Add to wet ingredients.
5. Chill dough for at least one hour or overnight.
6. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare baking sheets with cooking spray or parchment paper.
7. Form dough into teaspoon-sized balls with your hands (it's definitely easier if you wet your hands - this is a sticky dough!). Roll in sugar and arrange on cookie sheet - these cookies need their space so be careful not to crowd your baking sheet!
8. Cook 14-18 minutes, until faintly brown at the edges and just set in the middle. Enjoy!