Soft Molasses and Ginger Cookies

dI've always loved ginger bread cookies, but I like molasses cookies even more. When a recipe came up on my google reader from Serious Eats for soft molasses cookies, I knew right then and there I needed to pick up some molasses to make them. After a quick trip to the store, I whipped up some batter and the cookies just came out of the oven. They were soft and soon will "collapse" in the center to give that crispy outside and soft inside.

Here is the recipe from Serious Eats which posted a recipe from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion.

Ingredients:

(makes about 44 cookies)

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar, plus more for coating the dough (granulated - i left this out)

1/2 cup molasses

2 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp ground cloves

3/4 tsp ground ginger

2 large eggs

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses while mixing at a slow speed, then the baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Stir in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.



2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.



3. Shape or scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Roll them in granulated sugar and put them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.



4. Bake the cookies for 10 minutes. The centers will look soft and puffy, which is okay. As long as the bottoms are set enough to lift partway off the cookie sheet without bending or breaking, they're ready to come out of the oven. Cool the cookies on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring them to a rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!!