Chewy Ginger Snap Cookies

Last year I decided to be a bit frugal and start making my teacher gifts. I can be crafty, but I don't have time to be as crafty as I want to be. I knew I wouldn't be buying out A.C. Moore and making fancy baskets. I still had to do something. Each kids has a gaggle of teachers, and buying something more tangible from a store would be ridiculously expensive. I decided to make a cookie basket of sorts. I think I will continue with that place this year. About $20 in baking ingredients + $15 in packaging supplies from the craft store, and we're good. I may add some cute pictures of the kids in aprons or something along those lines to add to the card.


Anyhow, I made about 4 different kinds of cookies. My Russian tea cakes bombed. Will need to find a new recipe for that. The chocolate krinkles and the chocolate chip cookies were easy and appreciated. It was the chewy ginger cookies that were the biggest hit - both at home and in the schools. I have since made the recipe a few times, and they get devoured pretty quickly. Definitely recommend it.


Soft and Chewy Ginger Cookies
Recipe slightly adapted from the Cooking with my Kid Blog

Ingredients:

3/4 cup melted butter

1 and 1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tbsp chopped crystallized ginger
1/2 tsp cloves

Melt the butter and let it cool. 

Mix in the egg, molasses, and 1 cup of the sugar. 

In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. 

Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture a little at a time until combined. Chill for 20 minutes. 

Meanwhile, line a cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and heat the oven to 375 degrees. 

Make 1″ balls with the dough and roll in the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until coated. 

Place on cookie sheet with about 2″ between each ball. Bake for exactly 9 minutes in the middle of the oven (only 1 cookie sheet at a time). 

Take them out at 9 minutes even if they don’t seem done. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for 2 more minutes before removing and cooling on a rack. 

Enjoy!