Melanie's Ginger Cookies

Ingredients:

• ¾ cup softened butter
• ½ cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• ¼ cup unsulphured molasses
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 3 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp baking soda
• ½ tsp salt
• 1½ Tbs minced fresh ginger root
• ½ cup chopped crystallized ginger
• ½ tsp fresh ginger juice

Cookie Topping ingredients:

• ¼ cup coarsely-chopped crystallized ginger
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp ginger powder
• ¼ cup powdered sugar

Directions:

Whisk together dry ingredients.  Flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt.

Cream together butter and sugars.  Using a separate mixing bowl, either with a stand mixer or a hand mixer, cream together the softened butter and sugars on medium-high speed until the mixture is light and fluffy and a pale yellow color, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides occasionally as needed.

Mix in remaining wet and dry ingredients.  Mix in the egg and molasses, and beat on medium speed until each is combined. Gradually add in the dry-ingredient mixture and beat until evenly incorporated.

Chill the dough.  Transfer the dough to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until the dough is completely chilled (may be chilled overnight). This particular dough, with all of its butter and molasses, needs a thorough chilling to prevent the cookies from spreading.

Preheat oven.  Heat oven to 350°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat, and set aside

Roll the dough balls.  Once the dough is chilled and firm, roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter.

Top the cookies.  Place the chopped crystallized ginger on a flat surface. Dip each ball in the ginger. There should be 4 to 6 pieces of crystallized ginger pressed into each ball. Fill a separate small bowl with granulated sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place dough balls on the prepared baking sheet.

Shape the cookies.  Place the powdered sugar on a flat surface. For each dough ball, dip the flat bottom of a drinking glass in the powdered sugar and gently flatten the dough ball by pressing down with the glass until it is about 1½ inches in diameter.

Bake.  Bake for about 8 to 10 minutes until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top. (They will crack more while cooling.) Remove from the oven and let cool for 2 to 3 minutes. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

Serve.  Serve warm, or store in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months.