Yes, I did absolutely make a batch of ginger molasses cookies right at the beginning of summer. Why not? I don't really think of either ingredient as seasonal so much as tropical--totally appropriate for the newly warm weather we've been having. And to really make these cookies appropriate for the glare of the summer sun, I decided to add something cold and melty. That's right: ice cream sandwiches for everyone. Sweet and spicy cookies with rich ice cream? Perfect.

I have to admit I didn't make the ice cream. However! If you want to make your own, feel free. Pineapple coconut was our ice cream of choice, but a vanilla bean, zesty lime, or candied ginger flavor would also pair perfectly with these spicy, chewy cookies.

We still have an overabundance of powdered sugar in the house, so I used a mix of powdered and raw instead of the standard granulated sugar in these cookies. I also used wheat flour, because that's how I roll. This worked out perfectly.


Ginger molasses cookies

3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp clove
1 tsp ginger
2 cups flour

Cream the butter with the sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg and molasses and mix well.

It's standard cookie practice to mix the dry ingredients in a different bowl before adding them to the wet in batches. I like to just put everything but flour straight into the wet, mix thoroughly, and then add the flour in three or four additions. It's all good.

Roll your dough into small balls and arrange on cookie sheets. If you want, you can roll each ball in sugar as well, or flatten them with the base of a glass dipped in sugar. Put your cookie sheets in the refrigerator for a few minutes before baking; this will keep the dough from spreading too much.

Bake at 375F for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies are barely cracked. Err on the side of taking them out early, so they stay chewy and nice when stored. Overcooking equals rock-hard cookies. I'm just saying.

Cool your cookies on wire racks. Try not to eat all of them before they're cool enough to handle the ice cream.


To make ice cream sandwiches, simply spread slightly softened ice cream onto the flat side of one cookie and top with another. We used store-bought pineapple coconut, which matched perfectly with the zing of ginger and the deep dark molasses--almost like a dark rum drink in ice cream sandwich form. Something in the citrus or tropical fruit family would be delicious too.

We made each ice cream sandwich as we ate, but I could definitely see making a whole tray for a weekend party and stashing them in the freezer until the time was right. What could be better at the end of a long, hot afternoon?

What desserts are you concocting this summer?