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1
Whisk the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, allspice, mustard, salt and black pepper together in a medium bowl.
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2
Beat the butter and the sugars with a hand mixer electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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3
Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
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4
Add the egg yolk and vanilla and beat on medium speed until just incorporated, about 20 seconds.
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5
Add the molasses and ginger preserves and continue beating until the batter is an even light brown color, 30 seconds more.
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6
Add the dry ingredients all at once, beating slowly to make a soft, smooth dough.
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7
Use a rubber spatula to make sure all ingredients are combined.
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8
Then beat again for 20 seconds.
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9
Cover the bowl with plastic and refrigerate the dough until firm, about 25 minutes.
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10
Put about 1/2 cup sugar in a small bowl.
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11
With a cookie scoop or a small ice cream scoop, portion the dough into a slightly heaping tablespoon for each cookie.
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12
Roll the dough, by hand, into balls.
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13
Roll the tops of the balls in the sugar, and space them 2 inches apart on a nonstick or lightly oiled cookie sheet.
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14
Refrigerate until firm, about 25 minutes.
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15
(The chilling is what gives this cookie a beautiful, crackly crunch on top, and a soft, chewy center.)
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16
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
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17
Bake until the top is crackly, and the insides peeking out through are dark and moist but not raw, about 15 to 20 minutes.
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18
Briefly cool the cookies on the baking sheets, then transfer to racks to cool completely.
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19
Serve or store in a tightly sealed container for up to 3 weeks.
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20
Cook's Note: Ginger preserves give lots of flavor without the hard chunks of crystallized ginger.
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21
It is found in most grocery stores.
