These chewy gingerbread cookies have become a Christmas tradition in our household. (Not that we need Christmas as an excuse to make these.) Warning: these cookies are highly addictive. This is a recipe I adapted from Betty Crocker years ago. Think more butter more better. And the spicier the better. I love making these as we decorate the tree and watch our favorite Christmas movies! We usually end up making another batch to enjoy for our annual NYE pajama party/sleepover. I hope you enjoy them as much as we do!

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 egg

1/4 cup + 2 Tbs molasses

3 cups AP flour

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 Tbs ground ginger

1 1/2 Tbs ground cinnamon

2 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves

2 teaspoons ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon ground allspice

~ 2/3 cup coarse or granulated sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:

Beat softened butter and brown sugar together in an electric mixer until fluffy (about 5 minutes). Beat in the egg and molasses. Then mix in the rest of the dry ingredients (minus the sugar). Cover and place in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Roll into roughly 1 inch balls, and roll them in a bowl of the sugar. Place on parchment paper on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart. Bake in the oven for 8 minutes at 350F. Let cool for 2 minutes, then place on cooling racks. (If you want to flatten them a bit, tap the tray straight down after taking them out of the oven.)

If you’d like to save some of the dough for later, simply place the dough balls covered in sugar in a Tupperware container and place in the freezer! To bake from the freezer, bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes, until the center is just set. Let sit for 2 minutes, and then transfer to cooling racks. Eat them while they’re warm or save them for later (if you can)!

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