OLD-FASHIONED MOLASSES COOKIES (about 3 dozen cookies)
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground allspice
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¾ cup (1-1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 egg
1/3 cup unsulfured molasses, such as Grandma’s Original
½ cup raw sugar (also called turbinado or demerara sugar), for rolling cookies
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1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves and black pepper.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or beaters), beat the butter and the granulated and light brown sugars until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses. Add the flour mixture and mix until combined. Chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, a few hours.
3. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350* and set two racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line two 13 by 18 inch baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Form heaping tablespoons of dough into balls and roll in the raw sugar to coat generously. Arrange the dough balls about 2-1/2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 9 to 10 minutes, rotating the sheets from top to bottom and from front to back midway through, until puffed and set. Let cool in the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
NOTE: The cookie dough can be frozen for up to 3 months. Roll dough into balls, let sit on a baking sheet in the freezer, then place in a sealable bag and press out as much air as possible. Bake as needed directly from freezer (allow 1 to 2 minutes longer in the oven). To freeze after baking, let the cookies cool completely and store in an airtight container separating layers with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Before serving, remove the cookies from the container and let them come to room temperature.
from Jenn Segal, Once Upon a Chef