Ginger Rum Molasses Cookies

Happy Friday, everyone! Thank you for the kind well-wishes in my cookie butter blondie post. Having survived wire braces (thanks, early 90's), a retainer, and one root canal - the tooth extraction was not too traumatizing - I just like to be melodramatic, it makes the reality of a situation feel like a fluffy purple pillow.

Thanks to a hunger-induced shopping spree, I'm forced to extend the soft food "diet," slightly - Häagen-Dazs looks awkward and out of place amongst my frozen vegan, organic hippie food.  Lucky me, I was able to enjoy these soft cookies (via several small mouse bites). White wine has also been a close companion these past few evenings - apologies to anyone who may have encountered some tipsy Tweets.

These cookies, while slightly holiday-ish in ambiance, are whimsical and pleasant enough to be enjoyed at the onset of spring. The ginger makes it's zippy appearance in two forms, ground and crystallized - the latter offers random bursts of chewy, sweet, sultry heat - kissing the back of your throat like a cosy red scarf on a cold wintery day.

The molasses keeps the cookies soft and chewy, while the rum simply acts every bit the Rum - giving off it's brilliant rummy-ness. If you don't have rum (why?), feel free to use about 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract instead. I should mention that the cookie dough is Awesome. And yes, I know the same can be said for most cookie doughs, but this one...this one is especially additive (cover the bowl tightly!).

p.s. Don't forget to spring forward this weekend! 

Ginger Rum Molasses Cookies
makes 24-26 cookies

ingredients
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking Soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (that's 1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1/2 cup tightly packed brown sugar (preferably dark)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tablespoon dark rum
1/4 cup molasses (unsulfured)
1 Tablespoon chopped crystallized ginger
1/4 cup granulated sugar (for coating)

method
In a large mixing bowl, sift together the flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt; Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and both sugars together on med-high speed until creamy (about 3-5 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat in the egg for about one minute. Add the molasses and rum and beat on low until combined. Gradually add the dry ingredients, beating on low speed just until combined. Use a large rubber spatula or wooden spoon to stir in the chopped, crystallized ginger.

Cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for at least 6 hours - or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Place 1/4 cup of granulated sugar into a large, shallow bowl.
For each cookie, measure out a walnut-size scoop of dough (about 1 oz each, or 1 rounded Tablespoon). Roll the dough into a ball and roll ball through the bowl of granulated sugar until evenly coated. Place the sugar-coated balls of dough onto prepared cookie sheets - allowing about 2-inches of space between each one.

Bake 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set. {Note: Mine were perfect, and chewy after 8 minutes...if you prefer crunchier cookies, leave them in for the full 10 minutes.} Remove the sheets from the oven and allow the cookies to rest for about 8 minutes before carefully transferring them to a cooling rack - the cookies may still be fragile, so use a thin spatula to make the transfer.

Enjoy with your favourite cup of tea.

inspired by allrecipes