The Best Ginger Cookies
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Bake Time: 15 - 20 minutes
Makes: 16 – 20 cookies
For The Vegan Version: Substitute Vegan Butter for Regular Butter, Substitute 2 Tablespoons of Oat or Almond Milk for Egg
For The Cookie Batter
♦ ¾ cup butter (salted or unsalted), at room temperature
♦ 1 cup white sugar
♦ ¼ cup molasses
♦ ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
♦ 1 teaspoon ground ginger
♦ 1 teaspoon cinnamon
♦ 1 teaspoon ground cloves
♦ 1 egg
♦ ½ teaspoon Kosher salt (if using unsalted butter), ¼ teaspoon if using salted butter
♦ 2 teaspoons baking soda
♦ 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
For The Cookie Coating
♦ 1 cup Turbinado or Demerara sugar
In the bowl of an electric mixer or food processor, add the butter, sugar, molasses, vanilla, spices and salt. Mix until well combined (about 5 minutes). Scrape down the sides and add the egg, then mix until the mixture is light and fluffy (about 3 minutes). You will need to scrape down the sides a few times during this process. Add the baking soda and mix until combined, then add the flour and mix until all of the ingredients are well combined, scraping the sides of the bowl if needed. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the cup of Turbinado or Demerara sugar in a bowl. Using a spoon, scoop out some of the dough and roll it into a ball (you can make them the size of walnuts or golf balls, depending on the size of cookie you would like). Drop the ball of dough into the bowl of sugar and roll it around until it is coated evenly on all sides. Place the ball on the baking sheet and press down very lightly. Repeat until you have 6 balls of dough evenly spaced out on the cookie sheet (these cookies spread so you risk them melting into each other if you try to fit too many on the baking sheet at once). Sprinkle a tiny bit more of the sugar on the top of each ball and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes. The baking time will vary depending on the size of the cookie dough balls and the temperature of your oven, so check them in 15 minutes and increase the baking time as needed. They should have a nicely cracked top when baked. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the cookies to cool for 2 minutes before using a spatula to transfer them to a wire rack. Enjoy!
