ginger cookies + rosemary and sea salt

 
There is that lull in space and time - in Oregon - where the dreary mess of winter continues to no end. The fog is dense. The air is cold. The rain falls. Vegetation is still, stilted, and stunted.

But then I look out my window and admire the most admirable of all herbage. Something grows - my rosemary. Sort of a shrub. Not yet a tree. Evergreen.

Eat these near the ocean, wrapped in a flannel blanket, as the wind licks your face.

ginger cookies with rosemary and sea salt | makes roughly 2 dozen

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup brown sugar
1 large egg
1/3 cup molasses
1 heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary, coarsely chopped
coarse sea salt

Combine the flours, baking soda, salt and spices and mix well. In a separate bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add the egg and molasses to the butter mixture and combine. Stir in the dry ingredients. Add the chopped rosemary once thoroughly mixed. Chill the soft dough in the refrigerator until firm - about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and arrange on a Silpat or parchment-lined baking sheet with a few inches between each. Sprinkle each with a few granules of coarse sea salt. Bake for 10-13 minutes and, after cooling for 5 minutes, transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.