Admittedly, last week was a little difficult on the baking front for me, what with the sugar bun saga and the sticky bun SNAFU. I'll be completely honest with you - them buns kicked my butt! And yet by some miracle, my friends are still reminiscing about how good they were. Because although the execution wasn't flawless, the results were pretty darned exceptional.
Nevertheless, this past weekend when I baked some treats for a friend's get-together, I didn't think I could weather another blow to my somewhat fragile ego. So I opted for a tried-and-true recipe that's not only easy to make, but also a crowd favorite - ginger cookies.
If the thought of ginger brings to mind ginger snaps, those rock hard confections that pose a danger to your dental work, I can understand your apprehension about trying these. Frequently when people taste them for the first time, their initial bites of cookie come with a healthy dose of skepticism on the side. Believe it or not, though, every single person I know who's tried them absolutely loves them. Because these cookies, with their subtle flavors of ginger, cinnamon, and cloves, and sugary outer crunch, are incredibly addictive. Be warned - you may not be able to stop at one...I never can.
Ginger Cookies
Makes approximately 3 dozen
2/3 cup oil
1 cup granulated sugar + additional for rolling
1/3 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
In a medium bowl, combine oil, molasses and sugar until combined. (I still mix these by hand, but I imagine you could use an electric mixer). Add egg. Combine flour, baking soda, ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt and add slowly to wet ingredients. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill for several hours.
Preheat oven to 375F. Form chilled dough into balls (mine are roughly the size of a walnut) and roll in sugar. Place about 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. For the cookies to remain chewy in the center, they need to be removed from the oven when they're still slightly puffy. If you take them out after they've flattened, the cookies will be crunchy (but will still taste great).
Beware! If you try to hide a handful of these cookies in your beautiful pale blue wraparound skirt pocket (circa 1962), telltale circular marks will reveal to the world and your mother that you were snitching cookies--again--despite the fact that you had them in a paper napkin. So much for that hand-me down.... Do you ever make the huge, puffy molasses cookies beloved by Pennsylvania grandfathers?
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