Soft Molasses Ginger Cookies

Nothing says Christmas to me like Gingerbread.  While I love to look at the Gingerbread Houses, I like my gingerbread best in cookies.  This is my favorite soft ginger cookie.  I originally got it from a Bed and Breakfast cookbook many years ago.  They stay soft and chewy for about a week.  I could eat a whole stack of them (oh wait, I did); good thing the recipe makes so many.  These don't last long at our house.  This recipe actually calls for you to roll the dough balls in cinnamon sugar.  My daughter Erin made these and she omitted that step but they are pretty with the sugar. 

Chewy Ginger Cookies

Makes about 4 dozen

2 cups of granulated sugar

1 ½ cups of butter

2 large eggs

½ cup of molasses

1 ½ tsp. of ground ginger

2 tsp. of cinnamon

1 ½ tsp. of nutmeg (preferably fresh grated)

½ tsp. of salt

3 ½ tsp. of baking soda

5 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour

Granulated sugar to roll cookies in

Preheat to the oven to 350 º F.

Cream together the sugar, butter, eggs, and molasses until fluffy. Set aside.

Sift together the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture. Roll small (about the size of a walnut) balls of dough in the sugar, and bake on an un-greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until crinkled and set.

Cool on a wire rack.

This is my 3rd contribution to 12 weeks of Christmas cookies.  Check out what everyone else did and/or post your own recipe below.
Week 3 Twelve Weeks of Christmas: