Spicy Ginger Cookies

'Tis the season for baking! Ginger cookies have always been a favorite of mine. This year I decided to spice things up and added a little kick to my usual ginger cookie recipe. These cookies are the perfect combination of naughty and nice.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/2 cups of flour

1 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

3/4 teaspoon of cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon of salt

8 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup of granulated sugar

1 cup of brown sugar

1/3 cup of molasses

2 large egg whites

DIRECTIONS:

• In a small bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and spices
• In a larger bowl, cream together the butter and sugars
• Add the molasses to the creamed butter
• Add the egg whites to the molasses mixture until well combined
• Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture
• Chill the dough for about 1 hour (or longer is fine)
• Preheat oven to 350°F
• Add spoonfuls of chilled dough to a prepared baking sheet (round balls will make thicker cookies or you can flatten the dough like a pancake for a thinner, flatter cookie)
• Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes
• Sprinkle the tops with coarse sugar (or regular granulated sugar works too if it is all you have, like me)

What is your favorite holiday cookie?

XO, Bev