Ginger Cookies

Those of us who are feeling a little, ahem, “last-minute”, this holiday season will appreciate this straightforward recipe for ginger cookies.  I requested a copy of the recipe from Kevin’s family a few Christmases ago, after several consecutive seasons of ginger cookie nostalgia had finally sufficiently piqued my interest (my family has its own ginger baked good tradition, but more on that later), and kindly received my very own handwritten copy.  There are a few things that I like about these cookies, including their soft and chewy texture, their traditional holiday spice flavor, their sugar-encrusted sparkle, and, especially this year, their relatively no-fuss preparation.  I use my stand mixer, but a hand mixer would work too - just incorporate the dry ingredients by hand.  The recipe that follows makes about two and a half dozen cookies.


Ginger Cookies


2/3 c.  granulated sugar, plus more for coating the outside of the cookies
6 T  butter, softened
1/4 c.  molasses
1 large egg
2 c.  all-purpose flour
2 tsp.  baking soda
1 tsp.  ground ginger
1 tsp.  cinnamon
1/2 tsp.  ground mace


Use a mixer to cream the butter and sugar (with the paddle attachment if you are using a stand mixer) on medium speed until well-blended.


Add the molasses and the egg and continue mixing until they are fully incorporated.


Combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and mace (I like to do this on a piece of parchment paper, which I can then pick up from both sides and use to funnel the mixture into the bowl slowly).  Gradually stir the flour mixture into the sugar mixture using a very low “stir" setting on the mixer, or by hand.


Divide the dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap, and place them in the freezer for 30 minutes to an hour.


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Roll the dough into 1” balls, covering each one with granulated sugar before placing it on a cookie sheet that has been treated with non-stick cooking spray.


Bake the cookies until they have flattened out and are lightly browned on the bottom, about 12 to 14 minutes.


Remove the cookies from the cookie sheets immediately.  Cool on wire racks.