Crispy-Chewy Ginger Cookies

1. Preheat oven to 325F. Butter baking sheets. Sift the flour, baking soda, ground ginger, cinnamon and cloves onto a sheet of waxed paper and set aside.

2. Cream the butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed. Stir in the eggs, molasses, fresh ginger (if you’re using it) and vinegar. Add the sifted dry ingredients and mix just until blended, no longer.

3. Roll the dough into 3/4 to 1-inch balls. Place about 1 inch apart on baking sheets.

4. Bake until soft, about 7-12 minutes (10 is the sweet spot for my oven), until almost flat and getting crispy around the edges. Don’t over-bake. This will make them crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. They will get crispier as they cool. If you like them more like ginger snaps (hard and crunchy), bake them a bit longer, but don’t allow them to burn.

5. Transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

Makes approximately 8 dozen 1.5″ cookies. Unbaked dough may be refrigerated 1-2 days before baking if necessary.