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I have always loved a good molasses cookie. The key word is, of course, good.
They are hard to find. To me, anyway. They are either too crunchy, too soft, too cakey, too bland… But these… these came out just exactly right. The sweet molasses paird with spicy cinnamon and cloves is the perfect afterschool snack cookie for the fall.
These are from epicurious with a few of my own tweaks…you will know them when you see them.
There is something about one of these with a cup of coffee that has me sitting in my aunt’s kitchen watching her get a meal for her farming family. Just about the time these would come out of the oven the milk truck would pull up to get the milk and the driver always had to get a couple of these *for the road*. That’s just how it was back then…These cookies are about red checked fabrics, and aprons, and wonderful smells.
You can sandwich these together with cream cheese in the middle..or ice cream..or pumpkin butter…or…
Cold milk, tea, or coffee is essential!
Moist and chewy, these molasses cookies are spicy and perfect with a glass of cold milk. Just like grandma used to make... only better.
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger ( I use a full teaspoon)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper or 1/4 tsp chipotle powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening at room temperature
- 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup grandmas molasses (NOT black strap or barbados!)
- Turbinado or granulated sugar for sugaring tops of cookies
Instructions
- Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, cloves, and salt in a bowl until combined.
- Beat together shortening, butter, and brown sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a stand mixer (preferably fitted with paddle attachment) or 6 minutes with a handheld.
- Add egg and molasses, beating until combined.
- Reduce speed to low, then mix in flour mixture until combined.
- Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.
- Roll 1 heaping teaspoon of dough into a 1-inch ball with wet hands, then dip 1 end of ball in sugar. Make more cookies in same manner, arranging them, sugared side up, 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
- Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until undersides are golden brown, 10 to 12 minutes total, then cool on sheets 1 minute.
- Transfer to racks to cool completely.
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These are crazy good – but the dough was really soft when I first made it. I set the bowl in the refrigerator for half an hour or so, and then formed the cookies with a cookie scoop. Less messy than making balls by hand, and the cookies are still nice and round.
Katherine, it IS a soft dough..but that is what makes it chewy..I am glad you made them work for you!