Molasses Cookies may be a year
round favorite, but they are especially popular during the Holiday season.
This highly addictive, sugar coated cookie has a nice combination of dark
brown sugar and molasses which pairs perfectly with ground cinnamon, ginger
and cloves. They have a rich spicy flavor and a soft and chewy texture that
causes my kids to eat them by the handfuls.
As their name implies, molasses is the key ingredient in these
cookies. Molasses is a thick dark sticky syrup with a robust flavor. It is
what turns these cookies a lovely dark ginger brown color, adds to their
sweet flavor, and gives them a texture that is moist and soft. There are
two types of molasses used in baking; light and dark. The light molasses
is what we are using here and comes from pure unprocessed sugar cane juice
that has been clarified and reduced with no sugar extracted. My favorite
brand is Grandma's Original Molasses (Gold Standard) which is found in
most grocery stores. Light molasses is usually labeled as "sulphured"
or "unsulphured" depending on whether sulphur was used in the processing. I prefer the unsulphured
molasses which is lighter in color and tends to have a nicer flavor. To
prevent the molasses from sticking to your cup, always lightly grease
before measuring.
Besides molasses, these cookies are fragrant with ground cinnamon,
ginger, and cloves. All these spices have aromas that are warm and
fragrant, yet each has its own distinctive flavor. Ground cinnamon is
described accurately in Jill Norman excellent book "Herbs & Spices", "a
warm, agreeably sweet, woody aroma that is delicate yet intense; the taste
is fragrant and warm with hints of clove and citrus". Ground ginger could
be described as peppery with a subtle lemon flavor and ground cloves are
wonderfully rich and spicy. Since ground spices have a fairly short shelf
life it is best to buy in small quantities from a bulk food store that has
a high turnover. The added advantage of buying them this way is that they
are a lot cheaper than buying those small glass bottles from your local
grocery store. Always store your spices in a cool dry place, away from
heat (it is not a good idea to store them by the stove).
Molasses
Cookies: In a large bowl sift or
whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices.
In the bowl of
your electric mixer (or with a hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar until
light and fluffy (about 2 - 3 minutes). Add the
oil, molasses, egg,
and vanilla extract and beat until incorporated. Beat in the flour mixture
mixture until well incorporated. Cover and chill the batter until firm
(about 2 hours or overnight).
Preheat the
oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Line two baking sheets with
parchment paper.
Place about
1 cup (200 grams) of white granulated sugar in a medium sized bowl. When the
dough has chilled sufficiently, roll into 1 inch (2.5 cm) balls. Then roll the
balls of dough into the sugar, coating them thoroughly. Place on the baking
sheet, spacing about 2 inches (5 cm) apart and, with the bottom of a glass,
flatten the cookies slightly. Bake for about 9-10 minutes, or until the
tops of the cookies have crinkles yet are barely dry. (They will look a
little underdone.) Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Store in an
airtight container for up to a week.
Makes about 3 dozen cookies.
Sources:
Figoni, Paula. 'How Baking
Works'. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. New York: 2008.
Green, Aliza. 'Starting with
Ingredients Baking'. Running Press. Philadelphia: 2008.
Lawson, Jane. 'The Spice
Bible.' Stewart, Tabori & Chang. New York: 2008.
Norman, Jill. 'Herbs & Spices."
DK Publishing, Inc. New York: 2002
The Best of Fine Cooking 'Cookies'
Magazine. www.finecooking.com
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