Free Tea and Cookies by Rick Rodgers

cake racks and cool completely. (The cookies can be stored at room temperature in an airtight container for up to 2 days.)

Chewy Ginger Cookies
    MAKES ABOUT 3 DOZEN COOKIES
My friend Arlene Stein, executive assistant to Sarabeth Levine of Sarabeth’s Bakery, shared her ginger cookie recipe with me, promising that it was a special one. As Arlene is exposed to a lot of great baking, I knew that she knows her cookies and wouldn’t exaggerate. Fresh ginger gives them a rich spiciness, and coarse sugar provides a nice, slightly crunchy exterior. Best of all, when baked just right, they turn out comfortingly chewy. If they are a tad overbaked, don’t worry—they will be crisp and more like gingersnaps. So, if the chewiness is important to you, do a test batch for timing. And note that the dough needs a few hours of refrigeration before baking. Make Gingered Green Tea (page 31) to serve with these.
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature
3 tablespoons peeled and grated fresh ginger (use the medium-size holes on a box grater)
¼ cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg, at room temperature
½ cup turbinado, raw, or additional granulated sugar for coating the cookies
1. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together. Beat the granulated sugar and butter together in a medium bowl with an electric mixer at high speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, just until the mixture is light in color, about 2 minutes. Do not overbeat. Beat in the ginger, then the molasses and egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Gradually stir in the flour mixture to make a soft dough.

2. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until the dough is chilled and firm, at least 3 hours or overnight.
3. Position racks in the top third and center of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
4. Using a scant tablespoon for each cookie, roll the dough into balls. Roll each in the turbinado sugar to coat. Place the balls 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
5. Bake, switching the position of the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking, until the edges of the cookies are set and dry, but the interiors seem slightly underdone, about 12 minutes. Let cool on the pans for 5 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire cake racks and let cool completely. (The cookies can be made up to 1 week ahead, stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)

Oatmeal Cookies with Milk Chocolate and Raisins
    MAKES 4½ DOZEN COOKIES
Looking for a way to jazz up an old favorite, I tossed some chocolate-covered raisins in my oatmeal cookie dough, but because the thin chocolate shells were not formulated for baking, the results were less than stellar. On my next try I used milk chocolate chips and raisins, and success was mine. For plump, chewy cookies refrigerate the dough for about an hour before shaping—freshly made dough tends to spread in the heat of the oven.
3½ cups rolled (old-fashioned) oats
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature, beaten
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup seedless raisins
1 cup milk chocolate chips or chunks
1. Grind ½ cup of the oats in a food processor fitted with a metal chopping blade until powdery. Add the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt and pulse until combined. Pour into a bowl, add the remaining 3 cups oats, and stir until mixed together.
2. Cream the butter and sugars together in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl, just until the mixture is light in color, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the eggs, then the vanilla. Gradually