Nothin' Like a Fresh Baked Cookie...

Well it's been another dreary overcast day.. still waiting for that sun to reappear! Come on sunshine!! So what's a girl to do on a dreary day but bake! It's been a while since I've made cookies. With just the two of us at home now, I don't bake as often because we really don't need it... But today I had a reason for fresh baked cookies.
My brother-in-law had open heart surgery last Friday in Saint John, to replace a heart valve. The surgery went well, although his recovery is going to be "slow and steady" for a while... He was told "no more than an hour of driving before stopping for a rest", so we expected them to stop here this afternoon for a break before the last hour's drive home. I figured fresh home-baked cookies with a cup of tea or coffee, or glass of cold milk might taste good after a week of hospital food. So I turned to an old "stand by" recipe that everyone seems to like. We call them Spice Sparkles although you might know them by a different name... Soft, chewy and spicy...mmmmmm.....

Spice Sparkles

1 cup white sugar
2/3 cup shortning
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 tsp. salt
white sugar to roll dough balls in

Cream sugar and shortning together well. Add egg and molasses and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, spices and salt. Add and mix until all is blended in. Form dough into balls, about 1", and roll  in white sugar.  Place on baking sheet, leaving enough room for cookies to spread a bit. Bake at 350F for about 7 minutes. Cookies should still appear soft when removed from oven. Let cool slightly on baking sheet, then remove to cooling racks. Do not overcook or cookies will be crisp rather than soft.

Peace,
Linda

Keep calm and eat a cookie.