over the holidays. I'm still getting notes from people saying how yummy they are. I love the flavor in these. And it was lots of fun making up logs to have on hand in the freezer and pull out, slice, and bake to have freshly baked cookies on a moment's notice.

Best Ever Ginger Snaps

1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 egg
1/3 cup molasses
3 cups all purpose flour
2-1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
sugar for dusting (we used raw sugar - Turbinado- in class)

Cream the butter and sugar until light (Joanne said this will take a while, get it nice and creamy and light). Add the vanilla, egg and molasses and mix well. Stir together the dry ingredients and mix into the wet ingredients.

Make into two 8-inch long, 2-inch diameter rolls and wrap in plastic wrap (or roll in parchment paper, works great). Place in the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove and place in the refrigerator for 30 to 45 minutes until well chilled.

Preheat an oven to 375ºF. Butter baking sheets (we used Silpat mats or parchment paper in class to line the baking sheets). Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place on baking sheets, 1-inch apart (I recommend a bit farther apart, they tend to spread). Sprinkle the tops with sugar (Pat’s note: sprinkle heavily with the sugar). Bake until golden around the edges but still soft, 6 to 10 minutes.

Makes 5 dozen.

Source: Joanne Weir class, Dec. 2007

Pat’s notes: These are delicious. Joanne said this was a recipe she used when she worked at Chez Panisse years ago. She said if you want a softer, chewier cookie bake like about 6 minutes or so. For crunchier, go longer, like toward 10 minutes. About the yield, we didn’t get 5 dozen in class, more like about 4 dozen.