Cookies aren't what I would normally think of when planning the birthday dessert for any party... but here is what thinking outside of the box gets you, especially when you add that old birthday standby, ice cream (and in my world, chocolate)..... 




Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

3/4 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
2 1/4 cup unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger

Cream together the butter and brown sugar.  Add the egg and beat well.  Add the molasses, and beat until light and fluffy.  

Sift together the flour, soda, salt, cloves, cinnamon, and ginger (another option is to use a whisk to mix dry ingredients and remove any lumps). 

Add dry ingredients to the butter-sugar-egg-molasses mixture, and mix just until combined (you don't want to see any traces of the flour mixture, but you don't want to over mix either). Chill the dough for at least 2 hours; overnight is better.  Chilling the dough well helps to prevent the cookies from spreading in the oven and produces a thick, chewy cookie.

Using a spoon or a tablespoon-sized ice cream scoop, form small-walnut sized balls. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on a non-stick cookie sheet (using parchment paper is even better, since it eliminates any sticking).  Sprinkle each unbaked cookie with a few drops of water (this causes the cookies to crack when they bake) and bake for 10 to 12 minutes until the cookies are set, not hard (they will firm up as they cool).  Allow the cookies to cool on the cookie sheet for 15 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.