Ingredients
3¾ cups- All-Purpose Flour (17 oz / 488g)
½ Tablespoon- Baking Soda
2½ teaspoons- Ground Ginger
½ teaspoon- Ground Allspice
1 teaspoon- Salt
¼ teaspoon – Ground Cloves
1 stick- Unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
1 cup- Dark Brown Sugar(Packed)
2 Large Eggs,(at room temperature)
½ cup- Unsulfured Molasses
2 teaspoons- Apple Cider Vinegar
1 Tablespoon- Vanilla Extract
1 bag- Caramels(11oz)
1 cup- Demerara Sugar, for rolling
Mixing dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, ginger, allspice, salt, and clove. Set aside.
Making the Dough
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a hand mixer), beat the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until slightly pale, about 1 minute.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the molasses, vinegar, and vanilla and beat until combined. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, beating just until the last trace of flour disappears. The dough will be very soft and sticky.
Chilling the Dough
Place the dough on a long piece of plastic-wrap. Tightly warping the dough so there is no large air bubbles. Refrigerate the dough until firm, at least 1 hour. (Up to 2 days. For best flavor let it sit overnight)
Rolling dough into balls
Place the demerara sugar in a small bowl. Remove the dough from the refrigerator, portion into 1-ounce (28g) pieces, and roll each into a ball (they should be about 1¼ inches in diameter). Toss the balls in the demerara sugar to coat all over, then place on a baking sheets or in large bowl covered with plastic-wrap. Refrigerate the balls until ready to bake.
Preparing to bake
Arrange two oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking sheet. Place the cookies 2 inches apart and slightly flatten the cookies with a measuring cup. Doing this will help the cookies bake more evenly.
Time to Bake
Bake on the upper and lower racks until the edges are firm to the touch but the centers are still very soft and slightly shiny, 14-15 minutes, switching racks and rotating the sheets front to back halfway through.
Remove from the oven and with a 1/2 Tablespoon dimple the center of the cookie, and cool for 5 minutes on the baking sheets before using a thin spatula to transfer them to a wire rack.
Topping With Caramel
Unwrap a bag of caramels and place them into a microwave safe container.(Add 1 tablespoon of cream and a teaspoon of vanilla extract- Optional) Heat of 30 seconds at a time, stirring between heatings. Keep going just until the caramel is very runny and smooth. Slowly pour small amount of caramel onto the center of the cookies. Don’t worry if it’s not perfectly in the center. It will spread out, and become smooth on top. If the caramel starts to harden, place it back into the microwave for 15 seconds, just to soften it up and make it workable.
