Let's Wait a Month To Call These Gingerbread Cookies

While a culinary student, I remember learning some interesting marketing ploys in the food industry.  One in particular stands out in my memory.  How does it sound to order Patagonian Toothfish for dinner?  Sounds distasteful, doesn't it?  Then how about Chilean Seabass?  Much more appetizing-sounding, right?  However, the interesting thing is they are two names for the same fish.  Though not a bass, nor is it always caught in the waters surrounding Chile, it was named this because it was a more attractive name to consumers than Toothfish.  Things aren't always what they seem.

Likewise, this (really yummy) recipe I made today was called "Molasses Spice Cookies."  Sure, that's true and because of that name, more people will be drawn to make them any time throughout the year.  However, looking at the ingredient list, it's the same stuff that would make up a Gingerbread cookie.  But with the word Gingerbread comes the connotation of Christmas.  And Christmas only comes once a year.  My assumption then would be that to make this recipe more marketable in a year-round cookbook, they chose the name Spice Cookies instead.

Ah, that's just my two cents for the day regarding food business.  But I don't know anything.  (Except how to eat one too many!)

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Molasses Spice Cookies

(America's Test Kitchen Family Baking Book)

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/2 cup for rolling
• 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
• 1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup molasses, light or dark

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
2. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, place 1/2 cup sugar for rolling dough;set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt until thoroughly combined; set aside.
4. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once.
5. Roll one heaping tablespoon of dough into a ball between your palms, roll the ball in the sugar, and then place it on the prepared baking sheet spacing the balls about 2 inches apart Repeat with remaining dough.
6. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft, about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not over bake.
7. Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack and let the cookies cool on the sheet for 5 minutes then using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to the rack to cool completely.

Yields: 22 cookies