Chewy Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting

I know, I know another cookie post. Just who do I think I am? But, just go with me for a second on this, ok?

Think about it, warm, spicy cookies with just the right amount of chew. A little bit of heat from ginger and molasses that is mellowed out by creamy, cool lemon. Bliss. And festive for the holidays too! Are my not entirely necessary italics bothersome yet?

Cute, and tasty, but could be cuter, and tastier.

I made these little guys this weekend as some of the treats for my dorm’s Halloween party Saturday. I also made pumpkin bars, triple dark chocolate cupcakes, caramel corn, and these pumpkin pecan salted caramel blondies that were so good I couldn’t even snap pictures before they were all gone. 

Guess I’ll just have to make them again.

I initially wanted to make spiderwebs out of the frosting, but that proved too be too tedious and time consuming. Instead, I chose to be lazy take a more simplistic approach and just top them with a dollop of frosting. These can easily be adapted to suit any seasonal baking need though. Think snowflakes for winter or leaves for Thanksgiving or, my personal favorite, mini sandwich cookies! Or, forgo the frosting altogether and just give ‘em a roll in some sugar and enjoy their spicy sweetness unfettered.

That's better.

Molasses Ginger Cookies with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (makes about 32 2in. cookies, recipe adapted from Martha Stewart and AllRecipes)

2 ¼ cups flour

1 ½ tsp. baking soda

¼ tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

2 tsp. ground ginger

¼ tsp. cloves

¼ tsp. nutmeg

¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla

¼ cup molasses

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment paper, set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, cloves and nutmeg. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 – 5 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing until fully incorporated and fluffy. 

Add vanilla and molasses and mix until combined. Scrape the bowl as necessary.

In three small batches, slowly add the dry ingredients to the butter and sugar mixture. Again, scrape the bowl as you go along. Dough will be sticky, but manageable.

Using a small cookie scoop or tablespoon drop dough onto prepared cookie sheets. (If rolling in sugar, drop dough balls into a small dish filled with sugar and roll around until coated before placing on cookie sheets.)

Bake in preheated oven for 8 – 10 minutes, or until edges of cookie are just set. Remove from oven and allow to cool on sheet for 5 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Top with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting (recipe follows) if desired.

½ block cream cheese

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

½ bag powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

3 – 4 TBSP milk

Zest of one lemon

2 TBSP lemon juice

Cream together cream cheese and butter until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Add powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk to bowl. With mixer started on low speed, slowly begin to combine ingredients. Increase speed as powdered sugar is incorporated, stopping when frosting is smooth and creamy.

Add lemon juice and zest and mix until combined.

Frosting can be refrigerated for up to two weeks.

These were scary good!