I found this recipe while browsing about the web looking for cookie recipes and we liked it so much that I decided to post it here so I can find it again (yes, I hate looking for things again!).  That and I wanted to share it with you.

We cut the molasses in half and added applesauce because the molasses I had on hand was rather… um, strong, but I think that was a mistake.  These are already very good as we made them, but they lack that extra molasses punch.  So, keep to the recipe as-is.  It’s very good.   We also skipped the step of chilling them before baking, mainly because I forgot (that and it was closing in on 9pm, and I had kids to get into bed).  Just sharing this to let you know that it’s not an absolutely crucial step.

I did find, however, that I had to knead the dough quite a bit to get it workable for rolling out.  After about the 3rd time being rolled out the dough was nice and smooth, so be prepared to work it a bit before using it.

The final change: I always use powdered sugar in place of flour for rolling out cookies.  It adds a hint of sweetness and doesn’t add any more flour.

We didn’t frost ours, but I think that a cream cheese frosting, a simple powdered sugar glaze, spiced sugar glaze,  or a lemon-powdered sugar glaze would go very well with these.

These cookies have the heavenly smell of the holidays and make great ornaments. To make ornaments, use a toothpick or bamboo skewer to form a hole before baking. Use scraps to create three-dimensional designs.  They would also make an interesting stained-glass cookie.

3 dozen (5-inch) cookies

Hands on: 40 minutes

Total time: 1 1/2 hours

6 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup packed brown sugar

4 teaspoons ground ginger

4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

2 eggs

1 cup unsulfured molasses

1. In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and baking powder. Set aside.

2. Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and salt. Add the eggs, one at a time, and molasses. Add flour mixture; combine on low speed. Divide dough in thirds; wrap in plastic. Chill for at least 1 hour.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a floured work surface, roll dough 1/8-inch thick. Cut into desired shapes. Transfer to baking sheets lined with parchment. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. Bake until crisp but not darkened, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cookies cool on wire racks, then decorate as desired.

This entry was posted on Monday, December 22nd, 2008 at 11:58 am and is filed under Cookies, Holiday, Kid-Friendly. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.