One of Grama’s greatest hits, these spicy cookies, dusted in snowy powdered sugar, taste like the holidays. These cookies are bursting with warm and cozy flavors, including cinnamon, ginger, cloves and black pepper. The addition of molasses gives them a rich, deep flavor. If they’re slightly underbaked, they will be chewy.
Ingredients
- 2 cups unbleached flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda, strained to remove any lumps
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ cup butter, room temperature
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 egg
- ¼ cup molasses
- Confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
Makes about 3 dozen | Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment.
Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside. In large mixing bowl, beat sugar, egg and molasses until fluffy. On low speed, beat in dry ingredients until blended. Form 1-inch balls of dough (it will be soft) and place two inches apart on cookie sheet – these spread. Bake about 10 minutes, reversing cookie sheet halfway through baking. Watch carefully to make sure they don’t burn. Remove from oven and let stand for a minute or two before using a spatula to remove to a rack with newspaper underneath. Immediately sift powdered sugar over warm cookies. When completely cool, dust with sugar again. Store airtight.
