So I’m a little burned out from making extravagant desserts . Macarons, truffles, pie – it’s all just too much. I want something simple, something that won’t overload my senses, something I can eat without feeling horrendously guilty.

Hence, ginger cookies. Ginger cookies always make me homesick for visits to distant relatives in Sri Lanka, with the inevitable serving of biscuits to dunk in cups of hot, sweet tea. These aren’t quite gingersnaps – okay, these aren’t gingersnaps at all. They’re the fluffiest cookies I’ve ever made, and that’s pretty awesome, too.

Ginger Cookies 

(from Brown Eyed Baker)

Ingredients (yields  48 cookies) 

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2 tbsp. vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Whisk together the dry ingredients – flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger – in a medium-sized bowl.

In a larger bowl, beat the sugar and butter with an electric mixer until fluffy.

Add in the molasses and beat until smooth. Then add in the oil, eggs and vanilla, and beat until smooth again.

Gradually mix in the dry ingredient mixture just until completely combined with the wet ingredients.

Roll into about 1 inch diameter balls. Place on a greased baking sheet, about 2 inches apart (the cookies will spread).

Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 to 12 minutes. The centers of the cookies should still be fragile, but the edges should be set.

Allow these cookies to cool, and then prepare yourself for the most fluffy, spicy, melt-in-your-mouth cookie you’ve ever experienced. And don’t worry; if chai isn’t your cup of tea, these cookies go great with a glass of milk as well.

~Hafsa Razi