1 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1 large egg
1/3 cup dark molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp powdered cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt (omit if butter is salted)
2 cups unsifted Pillsbury Unbleached or King Arthur Unbleach Flour*
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Butter cookie sheet
1. Reserve 1/4 cup sugar for later in plate or shallow bowl.
2. Place rest of sugar in mixing bowl with butter.
3. Cream together until light and fluffy.
4. Beat in egg, then molasses.
5. Sift together flour, soda, spices and salt.
6. Add them to butter mixture and beat well.
7. Roll cookie dough into balls, using a generous heaping teaspoon for each ball.
8. Roll each ball in reserved sugar and place on buttered cookie sheet, 8 to a sheet.
9. Bake for 10 - 12 mins or until set and tops show cracks.
10. Cool on wire racks.
Servings: Approx 3 1/2 dozen
* Use unbleached flour for best flavor. Unbleached flour is bright white, it's just more time consuming to make. Flour will whiten naturally after milling. Since the natural whitening takes time (about 6 months), many producers speed up the process using chemicals. That process and chemical addition can alter the taste of foods made from bleached flour.
