Ginger Cookies

I love a good ginger cookie. This recipe is a good one. Crisp on the outside but soft and chewy on the inside. I actually doubled the recipe below and it worked perfectly. The crystallized ginger is an added bonus.

Preheat the oven to 350.

* 2 1/4 C all purpose flour
* 2 t baking soda
* 1/4 t salt
* 3/4 C (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
* 3/4 C packed light brown sugar
* 1/4 C sugar, plus 1/3 C for dusting
* 1 1/4 t ground ginger
* 1/2 t ground cinnamon
* 1 large egg
* 1/4 C blackstrap molasses
* 1/2 C crystallized ginger, chopped

Mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. I use a whisk to get this mixed together.

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, 1/4 cup sugar, ginger and cinnamon for a few minutes. Add the eggs and molasses to the bowl and blend for a few minutes. Add the flour mixture and the crystallized ginger and blend until fully incorporated.

Put 1/3 cup of sugar in a bowl. I used a small ice cream scooper and made cookie balls with it. Then coat in the sugar and set on a parchment lined cookie sheet each about 2 inches apart.

Bake until the cookies are a bit browned on the edge. About 10-12 minutes. Voila.