Ginger Strip Cookies

Know what I love? When people give me baked goods or baked good mixes at Christmastime. It keeps me from having to do all the baking. If you're looking for a homemade gift idea, consider putting all of the dry ingredients of your favorite cookie into a jar with a recipe card. That's exactly what someone did for me this year and I ended up with a new favorite cookie recipe!

They were so good, I made them again using the recipe card she included with the jar. What a thoughtful gift idea, huh?

And, now I'm going to share that recipe with you! Let me tell you that these cookies taste like Christmas.This is the perfect time to make them. The sugar on top gives them a nice crunch and the molasses inside keep the cookies super moist. Don't you love a cookie that's crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside?

Let me be very serious for a minute. You must stop what you're doing, head to the kitchen and make these cookies. You will thank me later.

Okay, wait, don't go yet. Finish reading first.

Ginger Strip Cookies:
3/4 C Butter
1 C Sugar
1 Egg
1/4 C Molasses
2 t. Baking Soda
1/2 t. Salt
1/2 t. Cinnamon
1/2 t. Ginger
1/2 t. Cloves
2 1/2 C All Purpose Flour

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease cookie sheet (I used cookie parchment paper instead). In a mixer combine: butter, sugar, egg and molasses. Mix thoroughly. Blend the remaining ingredients into bowl. Divide dough into two equal portions and shape each portion into a log and flatten slightly. Brush the tops with water and sprinkle generously with sugar. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and then cut into 1 inch bars.

Depending on how wide you cut your strips, you should get around 2 dozen cookies from this recipe.

So yummy! If you're packaging these in a jar as a gift, be sure to separate the sugar from the other dry ingredients. My friend stuck the sugar into a ziplock and stuck that down into the jar.