Ladies Luncheon Menu : Giant Ginger Cookies

Me enjoying the leftover cookies with some morning tea (Yes I had cookies in the morning)

A note with this recipe. The cookies will spread! I was surprised at how much and how large they turned out. I have never been a fan of small cookies and always make mine on the large size but these puppies were Gianormous!

Giant Ginger Cookies (Courtesy of Martha Stewart website)

Ingredients

Makes 12

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper (I used finely ground white pepper)
• 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/3 cup for coating
• 6 tablespoons molasses
• 1 large egg

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, allspice, and pepper.
• With an electric mixer, cream butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in molasses and egg. With mixer on low, gradually beat in flour mixture until just combined. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic, and freeze for 20 minutes.
• Divide dough into twelve 2-inch balls. Place remaining 1/3 cup granulated sugar in a bowl. Roll balls in sugar to coat; place at least 4 inches apart on prepared baking sheets. Flatten into 3-inch rounds. Sprinkle with sugar remaining in bowl. (My cookies did not come out with as much sugar coating as the ones pictured on the website. Next time I may just sprinkle a lot more sugar or use sanding sugar.)
• Bake until brown, rotating sheets halfway through, 12 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on a wire rack.