Christmas Ginger Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
2-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoon baking soda
white or colored sanding sugar, for decorating (can use regular granulated sugar). I used red and green for Christmas.

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a mixing bowl, beat together butter and 1 cup sugar until creamy. Add egg and molasses; beat until combined. Add the remaining ingredients and mix until well combined. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in the extra granulated sugar. Place balls on ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 7 - 9 minutes until barely turning brown. Allow to cool for 5 minutes on baking sheet and then remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Before baking, I roll the 1-inch balls in red and green decorative sugar and place on the sheet without flattening them. (They flatten anyway). I recommend cooking only 7 minutes for each batch and allowing the cookies to cool for a few minutes (they'll continue to bake outside the oven). This will ensure that the cookies are soft even after becoming completely cool. Also, using butter instead of shortening or margarine will aid in the softness. Other options will produce a crispy or hard cookie.

Number of Servings: 60

Recipe submitted by SparkPeople user BEEFGODDESS.