What do you do when you're sick?
Lay out on couch? Watch movies? Read?
I create a kind of quarantined nest of sorts. I've got my blanket, my remotes, my books and my water. Oh... and tissues.
But I can only sit on my butt for so long, ya know? It's too much sitting after awhile. I have to move around. Get things done. Idle hands. You understand.
So on Sunday, when I couldn't watch one more episode of Misfits, and the crazy brain idea that might legs my fall off due to lack of use, I decided to do the one thing that always cheers me up but requires minimal effort.
I decided to bake.
I'm not quite ready for a full-blown pumpkin spice overload yet, but these brown sugar cookies hit the spot. Brown sugar makes it a more rounded, caramelized flavor, and a slight hint of cinnamon and ginger give it a toasty quality. They're soft, slightly chewy, and perfect for getting you out of your sick day blues.
*note: for all coworkers wondering if I have infected them with the plague on Monday, I washed my hands at least 5 times before/during the making of these cookies.*
Brown Sugar Cookies
From Joy the Baker
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
1 1/4 cups dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger. Set aside. In an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes on medium speed. Scrape down the bowl.
2. Add the egg and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar, and beat for about a minute. Next add the dry ingredients all at once, and then mix on low speed until the flour has just disappeared. Turn off the mixer and mix by hand with a rubber spatula until the dough is completely mixed. It will look a bit... crumbly. This is good. Once your flour is completely mixed in, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.
*preheat oven to 350 degrees; prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper*
3. Using a cookie dough scoop (or a tablespoon), scoop up a dough ball and roll it between your hands, creating a sphere. Place the dough balls on the cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies for 10 - 12 minutes, when they are lightly golden around the edges. They may look suspiciously underdone, but they aren't. Let stand on the cookie sheet 5 minutes before taking them off and placing on to a wire rack to cool. Cookies will last up to 5 days in a sealed container/plastic bag.