One of the best cookies EVER. Made them for Xmas to bring to school. They sat untouched compared to all the extravagant other cookies, but I forced people to try them. The result: my friend held two cookies in each hand literally SHOVING them in his mouth because they all got eaten in five minutes; there was a mad rush to get them and needless to say I brought none back home. Only problem with the recipe I can see is that the dough is very sticky and hard to form in balls. My suggestion is to drop the dough directly into the sugar and then form the balls as the sugar coats the dough and allows you to roll it. Also, I used a tablespoon of orange juice instead of water to bring out the ginger flavor and it worked extremely well.
These cookies are delicious!! They are also easy to make but you need to let the mix sit for a good 40-50 minutes before rolling into cookie form, otherwise you'll just be playing with a big gooey mess. I wish I knew that before I got my hands in it.
these cookies are very tasty, granted, yes. however, i was terribly annoyed to find that i had big gingerbread balls because of the directive: lightly flatten cookie. you need to really flatten the cookie out to get a result like that in the photo. i would make them again, and will really squash em down.
If I could have rated these 10 stars, I would have. These cookies were autumn/winter perfection! Moist and chewy all the way through. I made mine smaller, rolling the dough into about 3/4 inch balls. They came out the size of a ginger snap. I made the first batch to give as a gift, but they disappeared before I could give them away. Now I have to make another batch tonight. Thank you for a recipe I'll use for years to come.
*edit*
On the second batch I took the advice of another reviewer and used orange juice instead of water. I didn't think it would make that much of a difference, but the subtle change MADE these cookies. My boyfriend considers himself a cookie connoisseur (and a picky one to boot) and he says these are the best cookies he's ever eaten - bar none.
WARNING...DANGER AHEAD...do not make these cookies unless you are on an all cookie diet. You have been warned.
Wow! These are the best cookies ever! They came out looking great - tasted even better! Like others, I also put the dough into the freezer for about 30 minutes. It makes a HUGE difference. I baked mine for 10 minutes - they still stayed moist. I am planning to give these cookies as gifts for Christmas. Thanks for the great recipe!
**Unfortunately, these cookies didn't last long enough to give away as gifts. So I made another batch - this time I used fresh grated ginger, and instead of water for the liquid, I used Brandy-Orange Liqueur. What a difference! A nice taste for the holidays. Next time, I'll try Grand Marnier, Cointreau, Spiced Rum, etc....the possibilities are endless! Thanks again for the great recipe!
Oh, my gosh... These are so good! The spices balance out nicely. We usually go for chocolate chip cookies, but even my picky 7-year-old son loves these. I doubled the recipe and used 1 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of margarine to get the buttery taste. Instead of water, I followed other reviewers' advice and used fresh orange juice. However, I'm not sure the juice made any difference. Before measuring the molasses, I sprayed the measuring cup with cooking spray so the molasses would slide out easily. I rolled the dough into 1-inch balls to yield more cookies. I will definitely use this recipe again very soon.
I made these cookies and followed the recipe exactly. My cookies tasted delicious but were flat. I re-made this recipe the next day, using 5 T of brown sugar instead of molasses and added no water. The cookies were able to be formed into balls immediately after mixing, no refrigeration necessary as other reviews have said. My second batch came out big, soft, and looking just like the picture.
I made these cookies for a cookie exchange. They were a big hit and people wouldn't stop eating them. My husband probably ate three dozen by himself. When rolling them into balls, spray cooking spray on your hands to keep them from sticking.
