Gingersnaps

I used to bake a lot. In the last few years I have wandered away from baking in the quest to be able to actually cook a decent dinner. I also found that more often than not baked goods just didn't get eaten up in our house the way they had in my home growing up. Now that's probably a good thing, but it hasn't stopped me from continuing to bake unnecessary goodies every now and again.

One thing that had consistently eluded me in the baking realm was a good gingersnap. More often than not they were quite crunchy and a big glass of milk or coffee for dipping was a must to go with them. And there was never anything especially exciting or flavorful about them. They were always rather plain.

This new recipe, however, is the perfect recipe, in my opinion. The perfect combination of firm yet chewy with just the right blend of sweet and spicy. I was pretty happy to just enjoy them as they were...but then a friend suggested we add a little cream cheese frosting on top and that was the end of cookie indulging self-control.

Ingredients
 3/4 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
**1/3 cup white sugar for dipping

What you do...

Preheat oven to 350


Cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the egg and molasses until blended.

Combine dry ingredients and stir into molasses mixture until dough forms.

Roll into small (1 inch) balls and dip in the sugar, coating the entire ball.

Bake 8 minutes.

Let them sit on the cookie sheet for a few minutes to firm up before removing them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Enjoy!