Stale spices will yield a flat-tasting cookie, so make sure your spices aren’t too old. When you open up the jar of ground ginger it should really smell like ginger ! Ditto for the cinnamon. And no amount of pre-ground nutmeg will beat the flavor of freshly grated. If you bake these cookies for the time suggested, they will be slightly chewy in the center and crisp around the edge. If you prefer them crunchy all over, bake for about 2 minutes longer.
METHOD
PREHEAT the oven to 350° F. Line 1 or 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.
WHISK together the flour, baking soda, salt ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.
USING an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until creamy. Add the 3/4 cup of the granulated sugar and add the brown sugar and beat until filly blended. Beat in the molasses, then the egg. With the beaters on low speed, mix in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. The dough will be soft.
PLACE the remaining 1/4 cup of the granulated sugar into a shallow bowl. Pinch off clumps of dough and roll into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat fully. Place the balls about 2 inches apart on the prepared sheet(s). Bake for 11 to 12 minutes or until the cookies still appear soft, even a little wet looking in the center. If using 2 sheets, rotate them from top to bottom and from front to back about halfway through the baking. Let the cookies cool on the sheet for 2 minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool.
STORE in an airtight container for up to 1 week: or freeze for up to 2 months.
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
12 tablespoons ( 1 1/2 sticks ) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar, plus
1/4 cup for rolling dough in
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 large egg
11 mins
48