Two-Day Atomic Gingersnaps

Worth the effort...worth the wait.

1/2 lb unsalted butter
2 cups sugar
5 tbsp finely minced fresh ginger (yes, five)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup molasses (for an interesting variation, try Chinese bead molasses -- it's a little more bitter than American molasses)
1 generous tbsp white pepper
2 tsp distilled white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
4 cups all-purpose flour

On Day 1: Use the pinwheel-shaped chopping blade in your food processor to cream the butter and sugar until evenly combined. Add the minced ginger, beaten eggs, sugar, molasses, white pepper and vinegar. Whirl until evenly combined, then add the baking soda, cinnamon and cloves. Whirl again until evenly combined.

Scrape batter out of your food processor into a mixing bowl and add the flour, 1 cup at a time, giving it lots of elbow grease. Batter should be doughy and sticky by the time all the flour's been worked in. Divide dough into 3 balls, wrap each in plastic wrap, and stick 'em in the fridge. Leave the dough to chill for 3 hours minimum. I like to let it sit overnight so the flavors soak into each other.

On Day 2: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Pull out the dough balls one at a time. Flour your hands and any flat surfaces generously; this dough is sticky! (I wind up washing my hands after each tray of cookies.) Pinch off 1-2" chunks of dough one at a time, roll into a ball with your hands, then place each ball on your nonstick baking sheet and flatten into a disc with your fingers. Cookies should be about an inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes or until firm but not dry. Makes about 6 dozen cookies, but these will disappear way faster than you thought possible.