Triple Ginger Cookies

Hello there!  Are you visiting from the Craftzine.com blog?  Thanks for coming over, have a look around, make yourself comfortable, stay awhile!  I baked you cookies!



Since everyone has been so nice to me since I admitted to my obsession with Laura Ingalls Wilder, I've got another confession to make: as much as I like to bake, cook, craft, and generally make things from scratch, there are a few products that I just love too much to stop buying.  Yes, Trader Joe, I'm talking about you and your Triple Ginger Cookies.  Unfortunately, an infant, an hour-long drive to the nearest TJ's, and a heavy downpour have conspired to keep me cookie-less. 



So I broke out my ginger -- fresh, dried, and candied -- and set to work. The result is (dare I say it?) even better than TJ's: they're big, soft and chewy with a cracked and sugar-crusted surface.  Baking them made my house smell so heavenly I could almost imagine it was made of gingerbread.  And they're the perfect complement to a rainy day at home with my sweet ones.



Triple Ginger Cookies
Inspired by the Triple Ginger Cookies from Trader Joe's.
Makes 16 large cookies

3/4 cup unsalted butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/2 Tablespoon grated ginger
1/4 cup unsulphured blackstrap molasses
2 1/4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon candied ginger, minced
raw sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper (or butter a baking sheet.)
2. Cream butter and white and brown sugars. Add egg, grated ginger, and molasses and combine well.
3. Add in flour, baking soda, spices, and salt.
4. Add candied ginger and stir to combine.
5. Drop large spoonfuls onto baking sheet. Sprinkle with raw sugar and bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown and slightly cracked.