Very Ginger Cookies

By acampman

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Details

Servings 16

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream the butter and sugar together in a big howl, using the whisk attachment of an electric mixer on high speed (or a sturdy wire whisk), until they are light lemon-yellow in color. Don't worry if the mixture seems a bit dry; it's supposed to be that way. With the mixer on low speed, beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the molasses and the vinegar.

In a separate, medium-size bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and spices together. Gradually add these dry ingredients to the wet, using the paddle attachment of your mixer on low speed (or stirring with a wooden spoon until no flour is visible).

To make big cookies, use a 1/3 cup measuring cup to scoop out the dough. Roll the dough for each cookie between your hands into a ball. Have some flour handy to dust your hands in case the dough is too sticky to work with. Place the balls on your baking sheet, leaving 3 inches between them, and flatten them all with the heel of your hand until they are all about 4 inches in diameter.

To make smaller cookies, use a teaspoon to scoop up the dough and your finger to scrape it onto the baking sheet. Drop the cookies 1 1/2 inches apart, no flattening necessary.

Place the baking sheet on the center rack in the oven, and bake the cookies for 18-20 minutes, or until cookies are golden brown all over (10-12 minutes for small cookies), until they are cooked through and crackly on the top. These are nice hard, liek ginger snaps.

Remove the baking sheet from the oven,
and place it on a wire rack to let the cookies cool slightly. Lift the baking sheet off the rack, and use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely. If you're using parchment paper, there's no need to let the cookies cool on a rack. Slide the paper with the hot cookies off the baking sheet and onto a flat surface to cool.