In the Kitchen

Hello, my name is Jessica and I am a baking addict. I. Love. Baking. Bread, biscuits, cookies, pies, tortes, quiche...you name it I've probably baked it at some point. My absolute favorite thing to bake are cookies. They are quick, portable and yummy. Used to be I could take them to work and get rid of them in a day or two. Now I work with all these people who are always trying to stay healthy and I can't give 'em away. What's up with that? My waistline gettin' bigger is what's up with that.

Anyway I digress...

Here's what I made tonight to share with a friend who's coming over to play Settlers of Catan with us (yep, we're a bunch of certified nerds):

**I absolutely did not take this picture...Martha Stewart did.

The recipe is from Martha Stewart's Cookies and it's one of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes. Also, it doesn't have eggs in it, which we are currently out of.

Here is the recipe...along with my ahem, modifications. I have made these several times before with most of these same modifications without any adverse affects.

Ingredients: (I listed them all and then put stars next to the ones I left out because I didn't have them...or thought they were silly)

1 1/2 cups plus 1 tablespoon all purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 tablespoon unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder **I used regular old store-brand**

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature

**1 tablespoon freshly grated peeled ginger**

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons boiling water

7 ounces best-quality semi-sweet chocolate, cut into chunks (I used chocolate chips, Tollhouse)

1/4 cup granulated sugar



1. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. I don't have any but I did use those handy silicone baking mats and that worked fine. You honestly probably don't have to use anything if you have non-stick baking sheets.

2. In a bowl, sift together flour, ground ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and cocoa.

In another bowl using an electric mixer, beat butter and (if you're using it) fresh ginger until lightened, about 4 minutes. Add brown sugar, beat until combined. Add molasses, beat until combined.

**I would like to stop here and insert a piece of advice which did not come from Martha, but instead from Paula Deen. Paula is a genius.

See this? That's right, a girl's best friend when it comes to cooking with molasses. When you get ready to measure the molasses, give the measuring cup a liberal hosedown with Pam. So that when you get ready to pour it:

You get just about every last drop of molasses without having to scrape it all out.


3. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the boiling water.

Beat half of flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat in baking soda and water, then beat in the remaining flour mixture. Mix in the chocolate, turn onto plastic wrap or wax paper. Pat out to a 1-inch thickness. Refrigerate until firm, 2 hours or overnight. (I was in kind of a hurry, so I put mine in the freezer instead for about an hour)


4. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Roll dough into 1 1/2 inch balls; place 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Chill 20 minutes. Roll in granulated sugar.



Bake until surfaces just begin to crack, 10-12 minutes. Do NOT on pain of death overbake these. They will be hard as a rock and Martha Stewart will come hunt you down.


Let cool on baking sheet 5 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cook completely.