Ginger Molasses Cookies

It’s time for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap!!!

Can you tell by the three exclamation points that I have really been looking forward to this day?? Cookie swapping is one of my favorite events of the holiday season, and I love that it always introduces me to new bloggers who eventually become social media friends. (Hi to all my previous years’ matches!)

Anyway. This year I decided to go super traditional with my cookie choice. You know me — I love throwing random baking chips and/or candy in my cookies. The more sweet stuff, the better. But this time I went with an indisputable winner: ginger molasses cookies.

These cookies can go by a lot of names. Soft ginger cookies, gingersnaps, gingerbread. Call ’em what you will; they’re addictive. My mom (hi, mom!) tried half of one as a midday snack…then had to go back for the other half with her tea. And then promptly fought my sister to call dibs on the one other cookie left in the container. If inter-family brawling doesn’t convince you, I don’t know what will, so get baking. 🙂

Ginger Molasses Cookies
Very slightly adapted, then doubled, from The Baker Chick

Ingredients:

• 3 cups white whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, softened (3 sticks)
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup light brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 cup white sugar for rolling

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together flours, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the egg, followed by the water and molasses.
4. A little bit at a time, stir the dry ingredients into the molasses mixture.
5. Chill dough for 15-30 minutes to make it easier to handle (I recommend erring toward 30, if you have time).
6. Use a two-inch cookie scoop to form balls of dough, then roll them in the 1/2 cup of white sugar. Place the cookies 2 inches apart on your baking sheet, and press down to flatten slightly (these don’t spread much).
7. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges are starting to darken. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies, plus a few for noshing.

I hope Louise, Rose, and Kelley enjoyed the cookies I sent them. I sure enjoyed taking a peek at their blogs and exploring some of their stories and recipes.

_____________

And I can’t forget to thank the wonderful bloggers who baked for me!

Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla sent me these unreal Matcha-Black Sesame Shortbread cookies. So good! I couldn’t believe I had never had matcha/green tea in baked goods before.

Justina of Fail Sweetly made me these Dark Chocolate Almond Cluster cookies. They’re bite-sized…which means they have no calories, right?

And last but so far from least it’s not even funny, Laura from Pink Cake Plate sent me these outrageous Red Velvet Biscotti. I am keeping them at work because it’s such a treat to have one of these in the afternoon with my eighth second cup of tea of the day.

Happy holidays, happy munching!!