Ingredients
Equipment
Method
Make the dough
- Beat the softened unsalted butter and packed brown sugar until fluffy, 1-2 minutes, then beat in molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until smooth and glossy.
- Mix in all-purpose flour, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg just until no dry streaks remain, scraping the sides to keep the dough even.
- Fold in white chocolate chips, then chill the dough for 30 minutes so it thickens and bakes up chewy.
Shape and bake
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, line baking sheets with parchment, and set up a small bowl of granulated sugar for rolling.
- Roll the dough into 2-tablespoon balls, roll each in granulated sugar, and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
- Bake for 9-10 minutes at 350°F until the tops crackle and the edges are set, with centers that still look slightly soft.
- Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the sheet, letting the crackly tops set before transferring.
Notes
For the thick, chewy texture, don’t skip the 30-minute chill—warm dough spreads more. Store baked cookies airtight at room temperature up to 4 days; refrigerate up to 7 days. Freeze baked cookies up to 2 months. For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free all-purpose flour blend (check that it measures cup-for-cup).