Christmas cookie time

I'm not always keen on the holiday bustle, but now and then it's a real pick-me-up to prance about the oven and crank out some baked goodies. Hard to feel anything but merry when the ginger and cloves get to wafting through the kitchen.

I love a number of things about these particular beauties. For one thing, they hold just the right gingery bite. The blackstrap molasses kicks in some extra richness, too.  

I also love the texture, especially how the top surface turns crackly, like the bed of a dried-out lake. Even when these cookies are baked to less than a full-on "snap", the multigrain flour imparts a real crunchiness as you bite on through.

Oh, and they're pretty good for you, given how they're multigrain and all. Plus, blackstrap molasses is a fine source of iron, along with calcium, magnesium and potassium.

Ginger cookies
Wet ingredients

• canola oil – 3/4 cup
• blackstrap molasses – 1/4 cup
• egg – 1
• brown sugar – 1 cup (packed)

Dry ingredients

• multigrain flour – 2 cups
• baking soda – 2 tsp
• salt – 1/4 tsp
• ground cloves – 1/2 tsp
• ground cinnamon – 1 tsp
• ground ginger – 1 tsp

Decoration

• white sugar – 1/4 cup

How

1. In large bowl, stir together all ingredients from the Wet list.
2. In small bowl, add all ingredients from the Dry list.
3. Stir Dry mixture into Wet.
4. Form dough into 1" balls, roll in sugar and place on lightly greased cookie sheets (2" between balls). 
5. Bake at 375°F for 10-12 min (or until center is firm).
6. Remove and place on cooling racks.

FYI, my recipe has been adapted from this one.