Ingredients:

• 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 extra lg egg
• 1/3 cup molasses
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups (380 ngrams) all purpose flour
• 3 tsp baking soda
• 3 tsp ground ginger (plus 1 for more spicy)
• 1-1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp *pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp salt

Instructions:

1. Cream butter and sugars together in a stand mixer or large bowl. Whip until tight & fluffy. Add egg, molasses & vanilla, and whip until combined.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cardamon, cloves, nutmeg, pepper & salt together in medium bowl, whisk until well combined. If you can weigh the flour, do so. Otherwise fluff up the flour with a fork before measuring.
3. Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture and mix well.
4. Refrigerate 2 hours or overnight so you can easily roll them into balls.
5. Roll into small, 1 inch wide, walnut-sized balls and coat all sides with coarse sugar or turbinado sugar.
6. Place on a parchment-lined sheet pan, 3 inches apart.
7. Bake 8-10 min in 350 degree oven, until edges crisp and tops begin cracking. They will puff up a bit, then flatten out, a nd this is what creates the beautiful crackling.
8. Cool on a wire rack. They will crack more as they cool.

*Substitute white pepper