These molasses cookies offer the perfect blend of sweetness and spice, capturing the essence of the season and pairing beautifully with the flavors of fall.
One flavor that I really identify with fall, but it’s always in the dessert title, is molasses. That may be because it is a core ingredient for some gingerbread recipes. Molasses is one of the byproducts that come from processing sugar. Due to this, it isn’t sweet and has a very rich and earthy flavor. I think that’s why it pairs so perfectly with spices.
I wanted to give molasses even more spotlight by making it the core ingredient for cookies! Because I am determined to turn everything into cookies… Molasses is such a weird ingredient to work with. It acts like syrup but is used more like sugar, except it’s slightly bitter. It took way too long for me to realize that brown sugar was just a mixture of white sugar with molasses added back to it.
Check out the Make section of MCG for a variety of fun recipes, including delightful desserts and savory dishes that will tantalize your taste buds.
For these cookies, I did pull some spices in addition to the molasses and my classic cookie ingredients (Flour, sugar, butter, eggs). I did have brown sugar for the core of the recipe to just add that much more molasses. To go with this rich flavor, I thought cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg would be a perfect complement.
Process
Making the Dough
The start of making the dough was putting together all the powdered ingredients. This included flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground nutmeg, and salt. I do love watching the ingredients really come together and turn into that light brown color from all the spices.
There is always a debate of whether to sift the flour. For the best results, I know I should do it, but my laziness gets in the way sometimes.
Setting that mix aside, I put the butter, the granulated sugar, and the brown sugar into a large mixing bowl. The goal is to make this mixture light and fluffy. I like to scrape down the sides of the bowl while mixing to make sure nothing gets too stuck to the sides. Then I continued to mix and scrape with the molasses. And finally with the eggs and vanilla extract.
With all the wet ingredients mixed, it was time to add the flour mixture into the bowl as well. On a low mixing speed, I added the flour mixture in batches of ½ to 1 cup.
I like doing it in batches to help prevent the flour from exploding all over the counter. The cookie dough will be slightly sticky when everything is mixed. Then I covered the cookie dough with some cling wrap and let it chill. I like to chill the mix for 24 hours to really let the flavors develop.
Shaping and Baking
When I’m ready to bake, I preheated the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and took the dough out the fridge to let it warm a little. The dough can get so chilled that it becomes difficult to work with. Once it is malleable, I rolled out the dough into 1-inch balls and placed them on the baking sheet.
The cookies are baked for about 12 to 13 minutes. Timing is so important with cookies. There’s very little time between underdone, just right, and overcooked. Then I must remind myself that I cannot eat cookies directly from the oven. Patience is (and will always be) a virtue. The cookies should cool for about 5 minutes on the tray and then transfer to the wire rack.
Reflections
I love the spices that these cookies. The is such a warmth and richness to these cookies that leaves a tingling when eaten. It really captures those fall flavors. I feel like it’s the perfect pairing with a cup of hot cocoa or warm cider. It’s a great time to get a plate of cookies, a warm glass, and wrap myself up in the blanket.
Recipe
Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
Cookie Dough
- 2 ¼ Cup All-Purpose Flour
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Baking Soda
- 2 Teaspoon Baking Powder
- 1 ½ Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Ginger
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Cloves
- ½ Teaspoon Nutmeg
- ½ Teaspoon Salt
- ¾ Cup Unsalted Butter softened
- ½ Cup Brown Sugar light or dark
- ¼ Cup Granulated Sugar
- 1/3 Cup Molasses
- 1 Large Egg
- 2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
Rolling
- 1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, ground ginger, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, nutmeg, and salt until combined. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar until creamy. Scrape down the sides, mix molasses until fully incorporated.
- Scrape down the sides and then mix egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- On a low mixer speed, add the dry ingredient (flour) mixture into the bowl in ½ – 1 cup batches. Once combined, the cookie dough will be slightly sticky. Cover and let chill for a minimum of 1 hour up to 1 day.
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
- Remove the cookie dough from the refrigerator. If it is difficult to work with, allow to warm for 15-30 minutes or until malleable. Roll the cookie dough into 1-inch balls and place them approximately 2 inches apart from each other.
- Bake for 12-13 minutes or until the edges appear set. Allow cookies to cool for 5 minutes on the baking tray before transferring to the wire rack. Let cool completely and enjoy!
Leave a ReplyCancel reply