from Shannon Hughes Bey   Yields about 4 dozen cookies

2  1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2  3/4 tsp. ground ginger

1 tsp. Salt

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

3 tbsp. finely chopped crystallized ginger

Preheat oven to 350F, with the racks positioned in the upper and lower thirds of the oven. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment.In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, ground ginger, baking soda, and salt.  In a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and 1 cup of the sugar on med-high speed until well blended. Add the egg, molasses, and crystallized ginger; beat well. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until well blended.

Pour the remaining 1/3 cup sugar into a shallow bowl. Shape the dough into 1 inch balls. Roll each ball in the sugar to coat. Set the balls 1  1/2 to 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets.

Bake, rotating the sheets halfway through the baking, until the cookies are puffed and the bottoms are lightly browned, 12 to 14 minutes. If you touch a cookie, it should feel dry on the surface but soft inside. The surface cracks will look a bit wet.  Let the cookies sit on the cookies sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer them to a rack to cool completely.