Molasses Crinkles

As a kid these cookies were the ones Mom always made when Grandpa came. Now that I am grown, I understand why he loves them so much. Comparable in taste to ginger snaps, 'snapping' is no where to be heard with these soft, chewy cookies. If you don't often find your cookies looking sufficiently 'pretty', you'll be thrilled to pull these from the oven!

1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
4 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cloves
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger

Cream together the butter, sugar, and eggs. Mix in molasses. In a separate bowl combine remaining ingredients. Add dry to wet a portion at a time, mixing as you go. Spoon and roll the dough into balls, then roll in sugar before baking. *Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes, or until they start to crinkle!

*I am often asked how I get my cookies so soft, and one trick is to turn the oven down 10-15 degrees below the specified temperature and bake a few minutes longer. For this recipe, I bake them at 335 for 10-11 minutes.