Gingersnaps
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and just warm
1/4 cup unsulphured mild or full-flavored molasses
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger root
1 egg
3/4 cup ginger chips or chopped crystallized ginger
About 1/2 cup demerara or turbinado sugar or 1/4 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)
1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, and salt. Whisk to blend them; set aside.
3. In another large bowl, combine the butter, molasses, granulated and brown sugars, fresh ginger, and egg. With a spoon, blend thoroughly.
4. Add the flour mixture, ginger chips or crystallized ginger, and stir well; the dough is soft.
5. Form the dough into 1-inch balls. Spread the demerara, turbinado, or granulated sugar on a plate. Roll the balls in the sugar. Set them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Bake, rotating the sheets from back to front and top to bottom about halfway through baking, for 10 to 12 minutes or until they puff up, crack, and begin to deflate in the oven. For chewier cookies, remove them from the oven when at least half or more cookies have begun to deflate; for crunchier edges with chewy centers, bake a minute or so longer.
6. Slide the parchment sheets of cookies onto wire racks; cool completely. Continue baking cookies until all the batter is used. Store in an airtight container for several days.
Adapted from "Pure Dessert"