My favorite season all year is by far Summer time, I love the heat, I will sprawl myself accross a hot rock and absorb the sun like a lizard and I will love every minute of it. Inevitably the end of summer always approaches and I get tense and dread the tought of fall, I hate the wind, the cold icy air, the pumpkin spice everything… but somehow when Fall finally comes, something comes over me and I get in the mood to bake with spices and make chai tea and wear sweaters. So this is the first of a few recipes I will share over the next few weeks that will have delicious spices and warm aromas that will fill your house just like they did for mine…I still hate cold weather though, seriously, I live in Canada…’nuf said.

 

This is a perfect recipe for kids school treats, it makes enough for the whole class plus the teacher and it’s also a great one to bring to a cookie exchange or give out as a thank you after a holiday party.

The trick to these cookies is to not over bake them, they bake at 325°F for 12 minutes if you are using a 2oz scoop. To test their doneness, open the oven and pull the pan out slightly so you can tap the top of the cookie gently, if the cookie deflates and makes a tissue paper noise, it’s perfect. If your finger leaves an imprint, it’s not done yet, add two minutes to the timer, if nothing happens and the cookie is hard, it’s over baked (if this happens, let them dry and pulse them into crumbs in the food prcessor  to make a gingersnap crust for a cheesecake). The cornstarch in this recipe is also helpful in keeping the cookies chewy, they prevent the gluten from over developing in the mixing process.

 

Soft Ginger Molasses Cookies

Makes 40 (2oz) cookies

 

271g Butter, softened

390g Granulated Sugar

166g Molasses

2 Eggs, large

8g Ginger, ground (use 20g fresh grated)

4g Ground Cardamon

1/2 Tsp Cloves, ground

618g AP Flour

16g Cornstarch

1/2 Tsp. Kosher or Sea Salt

4g Baking Soda

4g Vanilla Etract

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar, for rolling

Preheat the oven to 325° F, line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside. Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer combine butter, sugar, molasses, eggs and vanilla, beat on medium with a paddle attachment until lighter in color.

Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until combined, scrape the sides and bottom and mix for another 10-15 seconds to get it all together.

Using a 2oz scoop or a small spoon, scoop out a ball of dough and place it in the bowl of sugar, roll it around to coat the ball completely. Place it on the baking sheet and repeat until you’ve used all the dough.

Place cookies 1.5 inches apart on all sides. Press down on each cookie slightly with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Bake for 12 minutes if using 2oz balls of dough, reduce time by 2-3 minutes for smaller cookies and increase time by 2-3 minutes for larger cookies. See above for testing doneness. Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes and place on rack to finish cooling. Enjoy.