Molasses Cookies

I guess the official name for these cookies is "Dusty Miller Ginger Cookies", but that never made any sense to me, so I've always referred to them as "my mom's molasses cookies".....whatever, they're probably my favorite cookies.  

I don't remember how old I was when she started making these at Christmas time, but I've always been glad she only made them once a year, because they're like crack to me....I can't stop eating them once I've had the first one.  They're treadmill inducingly good.  I'm not sure whether it's the cookie itself or the cream cheese icing that I'm addicted to, but one is not as good without the other.....and I prefer the icing to outweight the cookie by just a little!

This is a fairly straight up dough....butter, sugar, eggs, dark molasses, flour, baking soda and spices......mix it all together, put it into the fridge for a couple of hours and this is what you get.

Then shape it into walnut size balls (no bigger as these puppies are a tad rich!).  I use a small ice cream scoop to shape them....much easier.

They then need to be tossed in sugar.  I just put some into a zip lock, drop the cookies in a shake.  Saves on the mess factor.

Then put them on a sheet pan lined with either parchment or a silpat.  Allow room between as they will spread a little.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes....and only 10 minutes.  They will look like they're not quite finished, but they are.

Then smother them with cream cheese icing and stuff into your face.  num num num num

Here's the recipe:

Dusty Miller Ginger Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter, room temperature

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup dark molasses

4 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ginger

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

Cream the butter and sugar together and then add in the eggs and molasses.  Add the baking soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt and mix.  Slowly add the flour.

Wrap the dough in plastic and refrigerate overnight.  I've never done it before, but I'm going to freeze half of this to make when the fam is here after Christmas.  

You can use your favorite cream cheese icing recipe, or here is the one I use.

Cream Cheese Icing

1 stick butter, room temperature

1 8 oz package cream cheese, room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 box confectioner's sugar (may take a little more to get the right consistency)