Soft and Chewy Ginger Spice Cookies

Soft and Chewy Ginger Spice Cookies
Yield: 4 dozen cookies
Recipe by bakeeatrepeat.blogspot.com


Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups unbleached, all purpose flour
1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 scant teaspoon ground cloves
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter, softened
1 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 Tablespoons apple cider (orange juice would also be delicious is you can’t get your hands on cider)
1/2 cup molasses

Directions:
1. In a large bowl sift or whisk together flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy (about 4 minutes). Beat in eggs, one at a time. Stir in cider or orange juice and molasses until combined.
3. With the mixer on stir speed, gradually begin to add flour mixture into butter mixture. Beat on the lowest setting until just combined and no flour spots remain.
4. Place dough in the refrigerator for about 1 hour. When a half hour remains, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
5. Once chilled, roll into walnut sized balls and drop  2 inches apart on parchment lined cookie sheets. The dough will probably still be fairly sticky. If you’re having trouble rolling the dough, coat your hands with sugar or drop balls of dough into a bowl of sugar to prevent sticking. Press down balls of dough slightly.
6. Bake for 8-10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cookies are no longer shiny in the center. Let the cookies cool for 4-5 minutes on the cookie sheet before removing to a wire rack to cook completely. The cookies will maintain their chewiness stored in an airtight container at room temperature for over a week.