These aren’t quite perfect. I have been after a specific texture for years — these cookies that are thick and soft and chewy, sort of cake-like but not really. I still can’t manage it. But these are the closest I’ve come, and the flavor is amazing. So, that’s why they are getting posted. Cookies are tricky!
These cookies do use unbleached flour, so they are definitely a treat. I suspect they’d work out fine with a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend although I have not tried. The fresh ginger in these really makes the flavor “pop” in a unique way.
Still, they’re yummy. Make them, share them, enjoy them. Nice treat for the holidays…just don’t make them too often. 🙂
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients:
- 1 c. butter, softened
- 3/4 c. sucanat
- 1/2 c. molasses
- 1/2 tsp. dried ginger
- 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 1 tbsp. fresh, grated ginger
- 3/4 tsp. sea salt
- 1/4 tsp. baking soda
- 1 egg
- 2 1/4 c. unbleached flour
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350. Add your butter to a bowl. I left mine sitting out for several hours to soften.
Dump your sucanat on top. I used 1/4 c. measuring cup and counted out 3…much to my 15-month-old’s delight. 🙂
Add your molasses.
Now, cream it all together, stirring until light and fluffy.
Add the spices.
Add the fresh grated ginger. Yummy! I peeled a small bit of mine using a normal vegetable peeler (they do make ginger peelers, did you know?) and then used the tiny side of a cheese grater to grate it in.
Stir it up, then add your sea salt and baking soda.
Add your egg.
Stir this up well, then add your flour.
Mix it up until it forms a fairly stiff dough. It won’t be like cookies you can roll out, but it will be hard to stir. Believe it or not, I actually cut my hand on the spoon stirring this dough. I have this weird dry skin (that appears to be related to the use of the furnace, sigh) on my hand, and the thin handle of the spoon cut into it as I stirred the thick dough. Oh well….
Drop spoonfuls of the dough onto a cookie sheet. Your oven should be preheated to 350 by now.
Bake them for 8 – 12 minutes. I’m estimating here; my oven still doesn’t work so I baked them in my toaster oven. Which worked just fine, by the way. It may take a bit less time in a conventional oven than in a toaster oven, although most things seem to be similar. I think pizza took a bit longer, while meatloaf was roughly the same. So any “dough” might need a few extra minutes. Watch them and pull them out when the edges are just barely golden brown.
That’s it! Yummy cookies. 🙂 The kids can’t stop eating them. I’m not sure how many are left…. And I’ve only had a small piece of one! As I said, though, a special treat.
What’s your favorite spicy baked good during the winter months?
I guess I’m not the only one with measuring cups that has the measurement label scratched off! That’s why I REFUSE to spend more on the plastic. Now, when I buy, I make sure the number is carved in, no painted on. It’s totally my pet peeve.
The cookies sound delicious! I just picked up some crystallized ginger from TJ’s today and have been wanting to try it in a ginger cookie…
Kate, have you ever tried adding sour cream to your cookie recipe? Maybe that would make it light and cake like. Molasses cookies are my favorite all year round….so I’ve been searching for the perfect recipe for years, too.
These look great, I think I am gonna try them! How would Blackstrap Molasses work? The same as regular molasses?
I made these yesterday and they are delicious! I used rice flour which seems to have worked really well 🙂