Molasses Cookies

These are some of our favorite "winter" cookies. They have a strong molasses flavor, kinda like a gingersnap, but are soft and chewy. I say winter because these flavors are typically associated with Christmas and the holiday season, which is when I usually make them. But they'd be good any time of the year. They're really, really good.

Ok, here's the recipe.

1 cup light brown sugar

1 room temperature egg

1/4 cup blackstrap molasses (this makes a big difference. I made them without the blackstrap and they got very mooshy and spread very wide. So use the blackstrap)

2 1/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup room temperature butter

Sugar to roll the dough

Preheat oven to 350. Beat butter with brown sugar on medium speed until smooth. Scrape down sides of bowl, then add egg and molasses and blend. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend on low until everything is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl periodically.

Pour some sugar onto a small plate. Roll ~1 tablespoon dough into a ball, then roll in sugar and place on cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Repeat until all cookies are formed.

Bake until cookies are firm around the edges, soft in the center and crackly on top, about 11 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes on cookie sheet, then cool completely.

Devour.

I made these cookies for our neighbors and put them in pretty holiday bags. I know Cookie Monster and I enjoyed them; I hope the neighbors did too!