910 Lucky Pennies!

It's that time of year again. I feel kinda like the Dunkin' Donuts man (some of you may remember the commercial where the guy who baked the Dunkin' Donuts had to get up at all hours of the night ... "Time to make the donuts!"). The Sunday before Christmas we have set aside to make the most yummy ginger cookies for our Christmas neighbor gifts. These cookies are also known as Lucky Pennies (I have posted this recipe for the past two years here, and the recipe is at the bottom of this post). They fill our house with the most WONDERFUL smells!! It takes 3-4 hours of rolling dough in sugar and baking, stacking and packaging our cookies to get the job done ... and lots of laughter and Christmas-movie-watching also takes place. Good times ...

53 bags with 17 cookies ... and we had about 9 left over. That makes 910, right?? That is a LOT of cookies ... SEE??? They are one of my all-time favorite cookies, and since my dad told me they were HIS all-time favorite Christmas treat a couple of years before he died, making them brings up all kinds of happy memories of my dad and family togetherness in years past. Truly a wonderful Christmas tradition!!

Stamps: Sweet Season
Paper: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler, Very Vanilla, Crumb Cake, Merry Moments DSP (retired)
Ink: Early Espresso, Cherry Cobbler
Accessories: Two Tags Bigz Die, Wide (Extra Large) Oval Punch, Small Oval Punch, Decorator Label Punch, Snow Burst Textured Impressions Embossing Folder, Corner Rounder Punch, Real Red Grosgrain Ribbon, Pearl Basics, Cello Bag, Snowflake Ornament

And for those of you who DON'T know about the Dunkin' Donuts man ...



Lucky Pennies

2 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
2 t. baking soda
1 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/4 t. salt
3/4 C. (1½ sticks unsalted butter, softened)
1 C. firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 C. molasses
1 large egg
granulated sugar (for coating cookies)

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt. In a separate large bowl, use a wooden spoon to cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the molasses and egg and mix until well blended. Gradually stir in the flour mixture until combined. Cover the dough and refrigerate it for at least 1 to 2 hours or until firm enough to roll into balls.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Use a teaspoon to scoop the dough out of the bowl, then roll it with your fingertips into balls that are about one-inch in diameter. Roll the balls in a shallow bowl of granulated sugar. Place the balls on an ungreased baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between the cookies. Bake for 6 to 9 minutes or until the cookies are crinkled and set.

Cool the cookies on the baking sheets for about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat until all the dough is used. The cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 1 month and at room temperature for up to 1 week.

Special note: This is a recipe that does NOT double/triple very well. If you want to make LOTS of them, you should make a separate batch of dough each time.

We are getting sooo close to Christmas and I have soooo much still to do (I'm sure most of you can relate). Putting the nose back to the grindstone ...