Chewy Molasses Cookies

On Monday night I got the fever to bake. I recently bought the new Martha Stewart Cookies book and decided to try a recipe from it.

1/2 Cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling

2 large eggs

1/2 cup unsulfered molasses

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon coarse salt

1. Put butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes. Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by the molasses and oil.

2. Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Put remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Using a 1 3/4- inch ice cream scoop, form balls of dough. Roll balls in sugar to coat, and space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake, rotating sheet halfway though, until cooks are flat and centers are set, about 17 minutes. Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

So.....what did this recipe teach me? To follow directions! Do not be impatient and only chill the dough for 45 minutes, you will get something that looks like this.

They all grew together and literally dripped off of the pan! The good news is that evening when the cookies first came out of the oven they were outrageously delicious! So good that even Peter didn't have one thing he thought could be improved upon, if you know Peter you know what a complement that is for me!

The next morning I packed the remaining cookies up to give to my friend Traci and a co-worker Lynette. Lynette said that they were awesome, had become crisp around the edges, but still chewy in the middle. I am still awaiting what Traci thought. I think I may give them another go this weekend to see if chilling overnight will make a difference in the way that they spread.