Gingersnaps

I love the taste of gingerbread but have no desire to frost the little buggers. Too much time and effort to watch people gobble them up by the fistful. So I compromise and make these. I happen to think these taste better than those little brown cookie people.

Makes about 90 cookies

Cook's Notes- I use the smallest of cookie scoops to make these. The scoop makes a round ball and saves me some time as I don't have to hand roll them. I pour the sugar into a pie plate and scoop 15 cookies into the sugar at a time. Roll them in the sugar

and then load one cookie sheet before doing the next sheet full.

3 sticks softened butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cloves
4 teaspoons baking soda
4 1/2 cups flour
raw sugar

Preheat the oven to 375. Line baking sheets with parchment or silpats. In a medium bowl mix together the flour and baking soda, set aside. In a large bowl with a mixer, cream together the butter and brown sugar. Add the eggs one at a time and the molasses. Mix well. Add the spices and mix again, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl. With the mixer running on low,add the flour and baking soda mixture. Mix until just combined. Drop by rounded tablespoon into a plate of raw sugar. Coat all sides with the sugar. Place the balls of dough onto the cookie sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.