Best Ever Chewy Ginger Molasses Cookies

These are soft, chewy and delicious ginger molasses cookies with gorgeous sparkling sugar on the outside. They are absolutely, hands-down, my favourite cookie of all time.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup of melted butter
1 cup of brown sugar (we use golden brown)
1 slightly beaten egg
1/4 cup of fancy molasses
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger

In a medium bowl, combine the first four ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients. Blend dry ingredients into wet. Cover and chill dough for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 F. Roll dough into one inch balls, then roll in white sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets (I used a silpat, and they turn out great). Bake for 8-10 minutes, until tops are a little crackly. Cool on sheet for five minutes, then place on wire racks to cool further. To keep the cookies soft, chewy and fabulous, place a piece of bread in a covered container. It really works. They'll stay fresh-baked soft until they are gone.

Whole Wheat Apple Hermits

I get a big kick out of baking "healthy" cookies. It pleases me to no great end to make a whole grain, fruit or vegetable filled cookie and have my rather picky daughter declare it to be "weally dood!" I like to take a normal recipe and change it up completely. I especially like it when it works out well. Yesterday's creation, the whole wheat apple hermit, was fabulous. This hermit is a moist, spicy cookie studded with soft apple pieces and chewy dried fruit, and is a new house favourite, destined to take up a permanent space in my recipe box. Really, this is more of a fall recipe than a summer recipe, but I don't play by the rules. Plus, it's been cold, wet and windy.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup softened margarine or butter
1 beaten egg
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1 cup of whole wheat flour
1 cup of all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 generous tsp of ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 large apple, peeled, cored and chopped into itty bitty pieces
1 cup of raisins (we use and trust Sunmaid)
1 cup of Craisins (for the love of all that is holy, don't use the icky flavoured ones)

In mixer, cream together margarine, egg and sugar.
In separate bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, spices and salt.
Add the dry ingredients slowly to the wet ingredients and mix until combined. It will end up looking too dry and you might feel a little panicked. Add the fruits, mix well and place balls of cookie dough about an inch apart onto a greased cookie sheet (we use a silpat lined cookie sheet). Flatten slightly. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes. Let cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes, then move to cooling rack. Your house will smell like spicy goodness. Enjoy!