mary ann or ginger

Bakery, sandwich shop, a grocery store counter when I’m feeling peckish — if ginger molasses is one of the options, I’m choosing it every time (and have since I was a kid).

At long last, I’ve conquered that perfect bakery-store soft-crunchy with ample spice and the right balance of sweet to complement molasses’ smoky depth.

step one

Prep.

It is important that ingredients are the right temperature. The eggs need to be room temperature. (If you forgot to take them out of the fridge — or just can’t wait to make these cookies — you can speed this up by letting them sit in a bowl of warm water. Warm, not hot. If the eggs are cold enough to chill the water after a few minutes, change it out as needed.) The butter also needs to be room temperature for this recipe, which I find takes about 30-45 minutes, depending on how warm the kitchen is. You can speed this up by cutting it into cubes, just keep an eye on it — you want cool to the touch that leaves a clear indentation when pressed with a finger, not totally squishy and already melting.

Gather your ingredients and tools.

Whatever you do, be sure to whisk the dry ingredients — you want those spices distributed evenly all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

step two

Measure the shortening into the mixer bowl (a really good time for that kitchen scale) with the butter and sugar, mix at low to medium-low until the sugar is no longer loose in the bowl then increase the speed to medium, giving everything a good scrape at least once. You want to see the mixture become fluffy, lightened in color, and significantly less grainy if you rub a bit between your fingers. (The texture should look kind of like mashed potatoes.)

Next, add the molasses (you’ll be really grateful for that kitchen scale here) and ginger paste, give it a brief mix on low speed to blend, then add the egg and vanilla. Mix at medium-low until completely smooth.

step three

Add half of the dry ingredients to the mixer, then mix at the lowest setting until almost totally combined. I strongly recommend turning the mixer off, then adding the second half — otherwise, it can be messy.

When the final addition is just shy of looking fully incorporated, give everything a good scrape. This dough actually likes a tiny bit of structure, so you’re going to mix at medium for 20-30 seconds. (You won’t see a solid dough form so much as you’ll see this sticky dough become more fluffy.)

Scoop the dough out onto a length of plastic wrap, squish it into a flattened ball, wrap it tightly, and tuck it in the fridge. Chill for 1 full hour or longer. (This is when I clean up, prep my pans, and get my scoop and bowl of sugar ready.)

step four

Heat the oven to 325°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and pour about 1/4 cup of turbinado sugar into a shallow bowl.

Scoop the chilled dough using a generous scoop (I prefer at least a #30 for this, if not a #24 or #20), give a quick roll (the dough will still be sticky, so you may need to rinse your hands frequently here), then coat in the sugar.

Place the balls of dough at least 3 inches apart on the baking sheet.

step five

I prefer to bake one sheet at a time, because my oven is small, older, and not the most even with the baking. If yours doesn’t have such limitations, you can bake two with racks in the upper and lower third of the oven — in which case, I recommend rotating halfway through the bake time.

A slight under-bake (and the molasses) gives these cookies that bit of gooey goodness, so start checking these cookies after 11 minutes. You want to see them puffy and very crackled on top, with set edges and a just-dry surface. (Remember, the cookies finish their bake on the pan, and you’re going to give these 5 minutes before moving to the cooking rack.) The longest I’ve ever needed to bake these was 13 minutes when the dough had chilled overnight.

Allow the cookies to cool completely or enjoy one warm from the pan if you can’t resist.