Sugar and spice and everything nice

Cookies are the coolest. Om, nom, nom.

A few years ago, my mother-in-law bought me a Paula Deen cookbook. Because most of my favorite recipes in it are located at the pointed top of the old-school food pyramid, it’s the kind of cookbook you have to use sparingly. Nevertheless, there are some buttery delicious gems tucked between its pages. One of my favorites, and the most requested from my familial taste-testers, is her ginger cookie recipe.

After some trial and error, I’ve made quite a few modifications to the original: I add butter instead of shortening (can you believe she didn’t call for butter?); extra molasses for that extra sticky goodness; and lots more cinnamon and ginger (triple cinnamon, double ginger — spice is nice, y’all).

Here’s my modified version of the ginger cookies (for the original, check out http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/ginger-cookies-recipe/index.html ):

• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup molasses (plus a smidge extra so it overflows for a few seconds)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons ginger
• ½ heaping teaspoon cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt

Cream butter and sugar in an electric mixer, then add egg and molasses and mix together. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt in a separate bowl, then add slowly to butter/sugar mixture. Mix until combined.

Roll dough into tablespoon-sized balls, roll in sugar, and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (about 1 ½ inches apart). Bake for 10 to 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Eat ’em up. Then tell your tummy, “You’re welcome.”

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Here’s hoping you love them as much as I do!

XO,
Katrina