Friday I had to make a dessert for the Georgetown Volunteer Fire Department. They were having an open house and showcasing their training facility which has been built with the help of many local people and their donations. SO...what to bake? Cookies sounded good and then it hit me: WILLOW'S WORLD FAMOUS BIG SOFT GINGER COOKIES would be perfect! So, out came all the ingredients and before I knew it these wonderful cookies were cooling on the rack.

For those of you who haven't tried this recipe: DO! They are soft, chewy, fragrant (but not TOO fragrant) and wonderful. This recipe is a part of my collection now Willow. Thanks so much for sharing it all with us. Isn't the Blog world incredible? It's like reading a magazine except that you don't have to look at all the ads if you don't want to.

If you'd like to try these, here is the recipe for you. Willow said that hers made about 18 large cookies. I used an ice cream scoop for each cookie and they were indeed the size of a golf ball but my recipe made approximately 38. Maybe it was a typo? Anyway, happy eating. I hope that the people touring the training facility are enjoying them but not too much: I'd like my sister to bring back any that weren't eaten!

Willow's World Famous Big Soft Ginger Cookies

4 1/2 cups flour

4 tsp. ground ginger

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. ground cloves

1 cup shortening

1 stick (1/2 cup butter), softened

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

1 cup extra sugar for rolling

Combine all dry ingredients and set aside.

Beat the shortening and butter until blended the add the sugar and blend.

Add the eggs and molasses and beat well.

Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture. (I just added to the wet ingredients that I blended in my KitchenAid and continued to blend on low.)

Shape into 2" balls and roll in the sugar.

Bake on an ungreased pan for 11 min. at 350 degrees (I left in about 12 and the cookies cracked nicely. Maybe a difference in oven temperatures.)

Cool on the baking sheet for 2-3 minutes and then transfer to a rack and let cool. Makes about 38 cookies.

Happy eating. I know that you will thoroughly enjoy these. I don't think that you will be able to stop at just one either!!!