Soft Baked Gingersnap Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:

3 cups of flour

5ml sodium bicarbonate

10ml ground ginger

7.5ml ground cinnamon

2.5ml ground cloves

2.5ml ground nutmeg

2.5ml salt

190g unsalted butter, softened to room temperature

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1 egg at room temperature

10ml vanilla extract

1/3 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

1 cup butterscotch chips, white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips - optional

Method:

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Set aside. In the bowl of a stand or handheld mixer, cream the softened butter for about 1 minute on medium speed. Add the brown sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides as needed. Add the molasses, egg, and vanilla. Beat well, scraping down the sides as needed again.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet on low speed. Do not overmix. Cover mixed dough with foil and chill for 4 hours of overnight. I chilled mine overnight.

Preheat oven to 180 C. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. Shape dough into 1-inch balls and roll in granulated sugar. Place balls 2 inches apart. Bake for precisely 8-10 minutes, until the edges are just turning brown – cookies will be puffy and still appear soft in the middle. Remove from the oven and, if using any variety of flavour chip, immediately press 5-7 chips into the centre of each cookie.

Allow to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week.