Recipe: Mom's Molasses Cookies

My brother was given a devastating cancer diagnosis in December. We all felt shattered. I just wanted to show him love, and for me, feeding him was a way to do that. I remembered that he used to love our mom’s molasses cookies so I immediately set out to try to recreate the taste. My brother (who does not impress easily) raved about the first batch and enjoyed each one without sharing!! I continue to make them for him to enjoy as he faces grueling treatments and they seem to settle his stomach and remind him of childhood. I’ve included the recipe here for you to enjoy!

INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 large egg
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• ⅓ cup mild-flavored (light) or robust-flavored (dark) molasses
• ¼ cup (packed) dark brown sugar
• Coarse sanding or raw sugar (for rolling)

RECIPE PREPARATION
• Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger NCL back xi, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.
• Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.
•Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (overbaked cookies won’t be chewy), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.