I think we can all agree, there’s just nothing like Mom’s home cookin’. It just tastes better, doesn’t it? For that reason I’ve asked my Mom to submit some of her favorite recipes for me to share with y’all each Monday. Let’s get cooking in the kitchen with Mom!
There are a few traditions in my family without which it would just not be Christmas. These Ginger Molasses Cookies are one of them – they’re absolutely delicious and will quickly become a favorite if you’re a fan of ginger or spice. In fact, they’re so good, my grandmother has declared she won’t be cooking Christmas Eve dinner if these are not present for dessert 🙂
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- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- 2 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 ½ tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground cloves**
- 1 tsp. salt
- ½ cup vegetable shortening
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup dark molasses
- Granulated sugar
**Word of caution: Ground cloves can go rancid and will ruin your whole batch of cookies. So if you’ve had that jar of ground cloves hanging around for more than a year, make sure you taste to be sure that hasn’t happened.
Sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and salt into a bowl; set aside. Combine the shortening, butter and brown sugar in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer on high speed, beat until fluffy. Add the egg and molasses and beat until blended. Reduce the speed to low, add the flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and as long as overnight. This step is very important.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter baking sheets. Using wet hands, form the dough into 1 ¼” balls, then roll in granulated sugar to coat evenly. Arrange on the prepared sheets, spacing 2 inches apart. Bake until pale golden and cracked on top, but still soft, about 12 minutes. Let cool for 1 minute. Gently transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Enjoy!