Molasses Spice Cookies

I found this recipe for Molasses Spice Cookies in Dorie Greenspan's Baking: From My Home to Yours. I don't have the patience for cookie recipes which require you to chill the dough, blah, blah. So I just made it a drop cookies recipe instead. The ingredients remain the same, except I used salted butter and dark brown sugar.

MOLASSES SPICE COOKIES

350 degree oven

Makes about 3 dozen cookies

Whisk together

2 1/3 cups all purpose flour

2 TSP baking soda

1/2 TSP salt

2 TSP ground ginger

1/2 TSP ground cinnamon

1/4 TSP ground allspice

double pinch of black pepper

In a separate bowl mix well

12 TBSP salted butter, room temp

1 CUP packed dark brown sugar

1/2 CUP regular molasses

1 large egg

Stir dry mix into wet & mix well.

Finish off with a blender.

Place 1/2 CUP granulated white sugar in a shallow bowl,

then drop spoonfuls of dough into bowl.

Coat each dough ball (1 1/2 inch) with sugar.

Place cookies about 2 inches apart on greased cookie sheet.

Bake 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Lemon Cookies

Eat these lemon cookies right out of the oven for their softness. Allowed to cool, they become crisp, but remain just as delicious.

LEMON COOKIES

Prep time 15 minutes

Oven 350 degrees

Mix together

1 stick of salted butter, softened**

**30 seconds in the microwave will do the trick

and 1 cup of white sugar

Add in

1 egg

1/8 cup whole milk

1 TSP lemon extract

rind of half a lemon, finely grated

Beat 3 minutes until light and fluffy

In a separate bowl whisk together

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/4 TSP salt

1 TSP baking powder

1/8 TSP baking soda

Stir dry mix into the wet,

then finish off with a mixer for 2-3 minutes

Add 4-6 drops of yellow food coloring.

Mix until color is spread evenly throughout.

Place 1/3 cup of white sugar in a shallow bowl.

Drop teaspoons of dough into bowl one at a time rolling into a ball about 1-11/2" in size. Coat all sides with sugar.

Colored sugar is great. Try pink sugar with the yellow of the cookies for a beautiful treat.

Place sugar coated balls onto greased cookie sheet about 2-3 inches apart.

Press down with thumb in the middle of each dough ball just enough that the ball doesn't roll, but not too deeply.

Bake 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Served warm, the lemon cookies are warm, soft and fragrant. Once they cool they will become crisp, not hard, still delicious, and perfect for lunch boxes.