Monday, December 29, 2008

Molasses Spice Cookies

molassescookies_articleWe’ve made these cookies twice this Christmas season.  They are my all time favorites—chewy, spicy, great for dunking. Of course the recipe is from The Best Recipe, my all time favorite cookbook. Hope you like ‘em too!

 

1/3 cup granulated sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces), plus 1/2 cup for dipping
2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon table salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar (about 2 1/2 ounces)
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark

Instructions
  1. 1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup sugar for dipping in 8- or 9-inch cake pan.

  2. 2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.

  3. 3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.

  4. 4. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls. Toss balls in sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

  5. 5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature and serve. (Can be stored at room temperature in airtight container or zipper-lock plastic bag up to 5 days.)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I concur. I have made this recipe several times, and do admit it has to be the best one out there. Yum!

Love,
Patty

Unknown said...

We call these ginger cookies (actually GIANT ginger cookies--because we make em BIG) and add cardamom--yum. I use the recipe from the red plaid better homes and gardens cookbooks (but I make it GF of course) and they have been a favorite for years. Ours are extra spicy--ginger, cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom--and yum yum yummy. I always love a good ginger/molasses cookie.

Anonymous said...

I will be making these before I go off my cookie binge. They sound wonderful.

Paul said...

A cookie to please every palatte (even one who is gluten intolerant--how do you like that for political incorrectness!!) has to be good.

The cookie jar is empty, but the cake dome is still full (see next post).

Unknown said...

I haven't had molasses cookies in years. This was a fovorite of my grandma. THANKS!!! for the recipe.
Geri

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