Step 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Step 2

In a large bowl, cream butter, sugar, and molasses.

Step 3

Add eggs, vanilla, and ginger paste, and whisk to mix.

Step 4

In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients, then gently stir into the wet mixture until well incorporated.

Step 5

Using clean hands, roll dough into balls and place on parchment lined cookie sheets (12 balls per sheet).

Step 6

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the surface is firm and just begins to crack. Cool completely before icing.

Step 7

Once cookies are completely cooled, transfer them to wax paper for icing. Dip the cookies upside down into the bowl of icing, or use a pastry brush to coat each cookie with a thin layer of icing (I prefer the brush).

Step 8

Try to use just enough icing to coat the cookie without too much extra collecting on the wax paper.

Step 9

Allow icing to harden completely before transferring to storage container.