Gingerbread Latte Cookies

First week of December. Tree up Sunday. Advent calendars taped to the kitchen wall — a chocolate one for Liam, a sticker one for Nora (she does not need chocolate every morning, she would be unhinged).

The tree is a 7-footer from the lot at St. Brigid's. Dad came over and helped me get it on the stand. He did not want me doing it alone. He said this is a two-person job Katie. I said I've been doing it alone for two years. He said I know, I should have helped.

I did not argue. I was grateful.

We decorated the tree together Saturday night. The kids did the lower branches. I did the top. I put Sean's ornament — a wooden Red Sox "B" he bought at Fenway in 2017 — near the top. Liam saw it and said that is Daddy's. I said yes. He put his hand on the glass.

Clinic — steady. A 38-year-old with new-onset thyroid symptoms, I caught a high TSH on labs. Got her to endocrine. She will be on levothyroxine soon.

Group Tuesday. We talked holidays. Bernadette said advent is a time of waiting. We are all waiting. I wrote it down.

I made Christmas cookies Friday with the kids. Sugar cookies, rolled out, decorated with icing and sprinkles. Liam made three stars and two Christmas trees. Nora made twelve snowmen. I made a dozen miscellaneous. The kitchen looked like a snowfall of flour.

Saturday pancakes. Burned the first one. The kitchen still had cookie dough in its joints. Liam helped with the flip. Nora ate sprinkles left on the counter.

Sunday dinner at Southie. Ma made a beef stew in the Dutch oven. Barley, carrot, potato, onion, a splash of red wine. Two hours low.

Food of the week: Ma's beef stew. It is a stew that reassures you it is winter and you will make it to spring.

The sugar cookies we made Friday were Nora and Liam’s pick — and they were perfect for that, for small hands and sprinkles and snowmen by the dozen. But after I cleaned the flour off the counter Saturday morning and burned the first pancake, I found myself wanting something a little more for me. Something with warmth in the spice itself, not just in the decorating. These gingerbread latte cookies are what I’ve made in the quiet after the kids are asleep — Advent waiting, in cookie form.

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 32 min (plus 1 hour chill time) | Servings: 24 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons strong brewed coffee, cooled
1/3 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

Instructions

Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Set aside.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and brown sugar together with a hand or stand mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg, molasses, vanilla extract, and brewed coffee until fully combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine. Reduce mixer to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing just until no dry streaks remain. Do not overmix.
Chill the dough. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight. The dough will be soft — chilling is essential for clean, thick cookies.
Preheat oven. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Roll and coat. Scoop dough into 1 1/2-tablespoon balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar until coated, then place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart.
Bake. Bake for 10–12 minutes, until the edges are set and the tops are just beginning to crack. The centers will look slightly underdone — that’s correct. Do not overbake.
Cool. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They will firm up as they cool.

Nutrition (per serving)

Gingerbread Latte Cookies — The Ones We Made While Waiting for Spring