Gingersnaps

(From Joy of Cooking)

• 12 TBS (1.5 sticks) margarine or butter
• 1 2/3 c sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c dark molasses
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 3 3/4 c flour
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp salt (use only if butter is unsalted)

Preheat oven to 350F. Grease cookie sheet. Soften butter (do not melt). Stir in sugar. Add eggs, molasses, and lemon juice and mix thoroughly. Add dry ingredients and stir until well mixed. Using floured hands, roll the dough into 1" balls and flatten them. Place dough on cookie sheet. (Store remaining dough in the refrigerator so it's easier to work with.) Bake for 10-13 minutes (or however long it takes) until cookies are turning brown and starting to become firm. They will be soft but not have liquidy parts. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool.

Comments:
Once you've made this a couple times, you'll get a feel for how they should look for optimal chewy texture. This makes 5 dozen cookies for me. I think my balls are a little bigger than 1". Joy of Cooking claims it should make 6 dozen.