From the Kitchen: Sugar and Spice Drops

With hosting bi-weekly Bible studies and book studies in our home on Monday nights throughout the spring and summer, there is ample opportunity to serve delicious treats to our guests.  I love to bake so decided to use these gatherings as a springboard to try new recipes. 

At our book study last week, we served Sugar and Spice Drops from kingarthurflour.com.  (Recipe follows below.) They were a big hit! They are soft and chewy with the traditional ginger snap flavor.  Being that they are teaspoon-size, these small morsels are the perfect accompaniment to a cup of tea.  And an added bonus is that my nieces and nephew like them, too!

I hope to post more approved recipes here in the coming weeks, so stay tuned!

Sugar and Spice Drops

3/4 cup (12 tablespoons) unsalted butter

1 cup sugar (I did 3/4-1 c.)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 cup molasses

1 large egg 

2 cups flour

In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugar, baking soda, salt, and spices until smooth. Beat in the molasses, then the egg, stopping to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Mix in the flour. Refrigerate the dough, covered for 30 minutes or as long as overnight. 

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two baking sheets, or line with parchment paper. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, and drop it by teaspoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 10 to 11 minutes, until they've flattened out and started to color at the edges. Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a rack to cool.

Yield: about 4 1/2 dozen cookies.