Why This Blog?

Welcome!

Come in and make yourself at home. I'm so happy to be able to share my recipes here with you.

I bake mostly cookies, quick breads, muffins and scones -- sometimes pie, sometimes cake, but nothing too fancy. I prefer simple recipes that call for ingredients that I already have in my kitchen.

These are the recipes I will share with you. They come from family and friends, magazine clippings saved through the years, favorite cookbooks, and other blogs.

I'm so glad you came to visit. Enjoy your stay!

Michael Ann

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Ginger Cookies

Do you like soft ginger cookies? If you do, you will LOVE this recipe.

I first tasted these several years ago when a co-worker brought some into work. We ALL thought they were just the best and everyone wanted the recipe. The original recipe was printed in the November 1998 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine.

Big, soft and chewy with the perfect amount of ginger -- they are wonderful. I threw all my other ginger cookie recipes away and have only used this one since. .

You'll need molasses, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves, and raw sugar. The dough balls are rolled in the raw sugar before baking and this is what really gives them that cracked appearance and crunchy texture. *If you don't have raw sugar, regular granulated sugar works too.

Giant Ginger Cookies
Yield ~25 cookies

4-1/2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
4 tsp. ground ginger
1-1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1-1/2 cups shortening (Don't substitute butter or the cookie will be flat and hard.)
2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup unsulphured molasses
raw sugar to roll dough balls in

Preheat oven to 350-F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, beat shortening for 30 seconds.  Add the 2 cups sugar; beat until combined.  Beat in the eggs and molasses until combined.  Beat in half of the flour mixture.  Stir in the remaining flour mixture.

Using a 2 inch cookie scoop*, shape dough into 2-inch balls; roll in the raw sugar.  Place balls 2-1/2 inches part on an ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake ~12 min. until puffed and lightly brown. Do not overbake or cookies will not be chewy.

Remove from oven and cool cookies on wire rack.

*If you use a smaller cookie scoop, just don't bake the cookies as long.

Happy Baking!

13 comments:

  1. Hi Michael Ann. I'm not a huge ginger fan but am willing to believe these are the exception to the norm! All your recipes are wonderful and mixed with love.

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    1. Well that is kind of you! But it's ok, if you don't like ginger, you can skip these ones :-)

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  2. Those look delicious, I don't think I've ever had a ginger cookie other than gingerbread. I'll definitely have to try this recipe- thanks for sharing!

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  3. Okay... that's it... where's my oldest? Yooo Hooo! Oldest! Come over here and bake Mommy some goodies! lol xoxo

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  4. I love ginger cookies! These look absolutely delicious!

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    Replies
    1. Thank, Angie! Sooo good with a cup of hot tea :-)

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  5. --I can actually smell those little gems all the way in Minnesota.

    Where are you a Para? What do you do?

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  6. Wow, the aroma traveled far!! :-) I'm a para at one of the elementary schools where I live in Davis, CA. I work with special needs kids, either in the classroom or in the resource room, one-on-one or in groups. Love it!

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  7. Oh my. All of your treats look so wonderful! I would like a big plate of these cookies please =o)

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  8. I'd like to try these - they sound wonderful!

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  9. YUM! I've never tried ginger cookies, but any soft cookie is great to me! This might be the first ginger cookie I try. Thanks for sharing at Foodie Friends Friday!

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I love your comments!

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