Ginger Orange Cookies

These cookies are very spicy and gingery, with an added zing of orange.

The recipe:

Preheat oven to 325° F

2-1/2 c. unbleached white all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/2 c. unsalted butter (1 stick), softened
1-1/2 c. sugar
1 egg
1/4 c. (4 Tbsp) light molasses
1 Tbsp. orange juice
zest of 1 orange, grated medium or fine

Prepare cookie sheets -- I like to use baker's parchment, the cookies don't stick at all, the cookie sheets stay clean, and the parchment can be re-used several times.

Sift flour, baking soda and spices into a bowl and set aside.

Cream together the softened butter and 1 cup of the sugar. Stir in the egg, molasses, orange juice and orange zest and stir until the mixture is very smooth.

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir thoroughly with a wooden spoon until well blended, making a soft dough.

Shape the dough into balls, about 1 inch in diameter. Roll the cookie balls into the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar and place on the cookie sheets. Place in oven and bake for about 13 minutes, until the cookies are cracked and just firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and transfer the cookies to a rack to cool.

I find these quite addictive!

Notes:

- Bring the butter and egg to room temperature before you start.

- If you don't have unsalted butter, use salted butter and omit the salt from the flour mixture

- You can use lemon or lime juice and zest instead of orange; in that case cut the amount of juice down to 1-1/2 tsp

- You may also add a tablespoon or two of grated fresh ginger, chopped candied ginger, or some of each.

Enjoy!