With Christmas approaching, I have been searching for a good ginger cookie recipe. Gingerbread is an essential element of Christmas baking, and I wanted to find a cookie that embodies that flavor. My friend Carolyn provided me with this delicious ginger cookie recipe that I will now be adding to my holiday baking rotation.

These ginger cookies are quite easy to make. When I first dropped the balls of dough on the cookie sheet, I wondered how they could possibly end up flat. Since the cookies flatten out quite a bit during baking, it’s good to leave about 2 inches between the balls of dough. The cookies are quite soft when they first come out of the oven, so it helps to leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for a few minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

The consistency of the resulting cookie is perfect. It’s crisp, but not crunchy. The top of the cookie is beautifully crackled, but the inside is still somewhat soft.

Ginger Cookies

Yields 4 dozen cookies

1 cup sugar
3/4 cup shortening
1 egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Set aside.
3. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the sugar and shortening on medium speed until fluffy. Beat in the egg and molasses and vanilla.
4. Mix in the dry ingredients.
5. Roll dough into tsp-sized round balls.
6. Roll dough balls in sugar.
7. Place dough balls on cookie sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes.