The Christmas Tree

This year our family had a tree decorating party. Jim made his famous molasses cookies, we turned on Grandma Gina and Papa's homemade Christmas CD and put some orange peels, cloves and cinnamon on the stove to boil. It was all there: the sights, sounds, smells and taste of Christmas.

Jim’s Favorite Molasses Cookies – from Carole Walter’s Good Cookies
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in and leveled
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon cardamom (if available)
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups sugar, divided
¼ cup dark molasses
1 large egg

Melt the butter in a 3-quart, heavy saucepan over low heat. (This cookie is mixed by hand in the pot.) Cool to tepid.
Strain (sift) together three times the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, salt, and cloves. Set aside.
Using a wooden spoon, stir 1 ½ cups of the sugar, the molasses, and egg into the butter, mixing until smooth. Add the dry ingredients, one-half at a time, and blend well. Cover with wax paper and chill for 30 to 45 minutes, until firm.
Position the shelves in the upper and lower third of the oven. Heat the oven to 375°. Moderately butter the cookie sheets.
Shape the dough into 1-inch balls between the palms of your hands. Place the remaining ½ cup of sugar in a shallow dish and roll the balls of dough in the sugar. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops begin to crack. Toward the end of the baking time rotate the pans from top to bottom and front to back. Remove from the oven and let stand for 2 to 3 minutes. Loosen with a thin metal spatula and transfer to cooling racks.

Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of was paper, for up to 3 weeks. These cookies may be frozen.

**You can bake two pans of cookies at once as long as there is enough space for the air to move around the pans. That’s why the oven racks should be spaced apart and you turn the pans toward the end of the baking time. If you have time, bake them one sheet at a time, still rotating the pan front to back.