Makes about two dozen four-inch cookies
As with most cookies, these freeze beautifully. If desired, you can substitute 2 sticks (1 cup) of the butter with natural, non-hydrogenated vegetable oil sticks, such as Earth Balance.
1½ cups (3 sticks/12 ounces) organic butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup molasses (not blackstrap) or cane syrup (I use Steen's)
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 teaspoons ground ginger
2 to 3 teaspoons ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg (or 1 teaspoon pre-ground)
1½ cups organic raisins (optional)
Heat the oven to 375°.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer (I use a hand held mixer) on high speed for about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and molasses until well blended.
Reduce the speed and mix in the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until well combined. (You can mix the dry ingredients together first in a separate bowl, but I never do.) Stir in the raisins if you're using them.
The dough will be very soft, so put it in the fridge or freezer for a little while to harden up (very cold dough will take a minute or two longer to bake).
Use a 1/4-cup scoop or quarter cup measure to portion out the dough, and place the cookies on a heavy duty baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper (this is wonderful stuff, and you can reuse the same piece for the entire batch of cookies). The cookies will spread; six will fit on a half-size commercial sheet pan.
Bake the cookies until the centers are set, about 15 to 18 minutes. For crunchier cookies, bake them a few minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container for several days or freeze.
Recipe source: FarmgirlFare.com
Recipe © 2010 FarmgirlFare.com
