CHEWY GINGERSNAP COOKIES

These chewy ginger snaps are PERFECT in my humble opinion and I’ve tried many different recipes.  Good ones, ok ones and some that were downright BLECH!  I’ve had some with too much or too few spices,  others were over powering with a strong baking soda aftertaste.  Some were brittle and crunchy while others were too soft.  These are, as Goldilocks famously once said, “just right!”

This recipe makes approximately 2 - 2 1/2 dozen cookies depending on how large you make the balls and they freeze very well.

INGREDIENTS:

* 2 cups flour

* 1 tbsp ground ginger

* 1 1/2 tsp baking soda

* 1 tsp cinnamon

* 1/8 tsp nutmeg

* 1/8 tsp cloves

* 1/2 tsp salt

* 3/4 cup butter

* 1 cup white sugar

* 1 egg

* 1/2 tsp vanilla

* 1/4 cup dark molasses

Coating: 1/3 cup sugar & 2 tsp cinnamon blended together

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Sift the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon and salt together well in a large bowl. Set aside.

In a stand mixer or using a separate bowl and a hand mixer, beat the butter until light & fluffy. Slowly add the sugar. Beat in the egg, molasses & vanilla. Slowly add the flour & spices into the butter & sugar mixture and blend thoroughly until a soft dough forms.

Form dough into 1- 1/2” inch diameter balls (depending on how generous you are feeling) in your hands. Roll each ball in the sugar and cinnamon coating and chill for 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

Place coated balls on parchment lined cookie sheets approximately 2 inches apart.

Bake for 10 minutes until slightly risen and the tops show cracks.

Transfer to wire racks to cool.