“Don’t change a thing, they are perfect,” exclaimed my daughter, Laura, when she tasted these spice cookies that are crisp on the outside and moist and chewy on the inside. Laura knows my tendency to keep baking and changing recipes, but she was right, I didn’t change a thing.
makes 12 cookies • cookie making 15 minutes • cookie baking 350 degrees, for about 15 minutes
cookies
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tablespoons unsulphured molasses
1 cup raisins
½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
icing
½ cup powdered sugar
3 to 4 teaspoons milk
Position a rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
MAKE THE COOKIES. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves into a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the butter and brown sugar until blended, about 1 minute. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides of the bowl as needed during mixing. Add the egg and mix until blended, about 30 seconds. On low speed, mix in the molasses. Add the flour mixture, mixing just until it is incorporated. Mix in the raisins and walnuts.
Divide the dough in half and form it into 2 logs. Place the logs 3 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet, and pat each into an 11-by-2½-by-1-inch-thick rectangle. Bake until the tops feel crusty but the interior feels soft when gently pressed, about 15 minutes; the edges will have just begun to brown.
Cool the logs on the baking sheets for 10 minutes, then use a wide metal spatula to transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely. Cut each cooled log into 6 pieces about 2 inches wide.
MAKE THE ICING. In a small bowl, stir the powdered sugar together with enough milk to form a thick but pourable icing. Use a small spoon to drizzle several thin lines of icing over each cookie. Let the cookies sit at room temperature until the icing is firm.
The cookies can be stored in a tightly covered container at room temperature for up to 5 days.