Adapted from: Averie Cooks

Ingredients

½ c unsalted butter, room temperature
½ c brown sugar
½ c sugar, divided
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 c molasses
1 T vanilla extract
4 t cinnamon, divided
1 t ground ginger
1 t ground cloves
½ t ground nutmeg
pinch of salt
2 c all-purpose flour
1 t cornstarch
1 t baking soda
½ t cream of tartar

Instructions

• With an electric mixer, combine butter, brown sugar, ¼ c sugar, and egg.  Beat on medium-high speed until creamy, scraping down the sides as necessary, for about 4 minutes.
• Add molasses, vanilla, 2 t cinnamon, and remaining spices through the salt, until well-combined, about 1 minute.
• Add flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and cream of tartar, beating on low speed until combined, about 45 seconds.
• Line a cookie sheet with parchment or silpat.  Using a spoon and your hands, create balls of cookie dough approximately 1.5-2 Tablespoons in size.  They will be quite soft and sticky.  Refrigerate for at least 2 hours to firm them up.
• While in the refrigerator, combine the remaining ¼ c of sugar and 2 t of cinnamon  in a small bowl.  Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Once chilled, take each ball of dough, roll in your palms to create a nice shape, and dip in the cinnamon-sugar for a thorough coating.  Place back on the cookie sheets.  Because they’re chilled, they will spread only minimally during baking, so you should be able to fit quite a few per sheet.
• Bake 9-12 minutes, until the edges have set.  They will continue to firm up a bit after you remove them from the oven.  Do not over-bake or you will lose the soft and chewy element!  Cool on baking sheet for about 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack.