soft gingerbread cookies

Can you believe we're less than two weeks away from Christmas?! I feel like the holidays have really snuck up on me this year and it hasn't helped that I've spent the last week with a terrible fever and sore throat. I had planned to do so many fun and festive things and then in a blink of an eye, an entire week wasted due to this wretched illness. Bleh. 

Somehow, however, I managed to take advantage of a time when I wasn't feeling like a helpless blob to get back into the holiday spirit and make some delicious gingerbread cookies. I found a super simple recipe online that I tweaked a bit and I think they turned out great! They had a perfect blend of spiciness and sweetness and they made our whole house smell like Christmas. Zach and I have devoured these. 

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup butter or margarine, softened

1 cup white sugar

1 egg

1 tbsp water

1/4 cup molasses

1/4 cup white sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Sift together the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and salt. Set aside.

2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter and 1 cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg, then stir in the water and molasses. Gradually stir the sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for 30 minutes until dough is slightly firm to the touch. Shape dough into walnut size balls and roll in remaining 1/4 cup of sugar. Place cookies 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing. 

4. Once cookies are completely cool, frost with cream cheese frosting and decorate as desired. 

Enjoy!