Soft Ginger Cookies

Soft, and spicy, and you don't want to stop eating!  Remember the Thanksgiving you made these, Brit?  You found the recipe online and brought it with you when you flew home from school -- I was buried under pots and pans in the kitchen Thanksgiving Eve (I think you found me eventually under the turkey roast pan -- Lol) while you were mixing these divine things up somewhere in that horrific kitchen.  I think either you or James (or both) actually got sick after eating an entire batch during a late night Monopoly game  -- I was still lost in the kitchen so not quite sure how that went down!  :)  So worth making these -- the aroma from the oven puts you in the holiday mood no matter what month of the year.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Sift together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl (I use my KitchenAid mixer), cream together the butter and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the egg, followed by the water and molasses.  Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture.  *Shape dough into walnut sized balls, and roll tops in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Place the cookies 2 inches apart (sugared tops up) onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly using your fingers or back of a large spoon.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.  Store in an airtight container.

*Note:  Put the dough in the frig for about 30 minutes if it's "sticky" before shaping into balls.  This is what I do and it works great.