Ginger Cookies

Its that time of year when I feel like peppermint and gingerbread are everywhere, so I decided to try making some soft ginger cookies. I like how they turned out.

1 ½ cups butter, softened to room temperature
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375°F.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger and salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, beat together butter and sugar on medium speed for 2 minutes until light and fluffy, scraping down the bowl if need be.  Mix in the eggs and molasses, and beat until each is combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredient mixture and beat until combined.
Place a sheet of plastic wrap directly on top of the dough to cover it.  Then refrigerate dough for 30-60 minutes, until it is completely chilled.
Roll the dough into small balls, about 1-inch in diameter. Fill a small bowl with sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place on cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart, then bake for about 8-10 minutes, until the cookies begin to slightly crack on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for a minute or two. Then transfer the cookies to wire racks to cool completely.

These were pretty good. I find I don't really care for gingerbread as much as I want to, but that's all right, these were tasty.