Thursday, October 13, 2011

Molasses Cookies......Week #3......12 Weeks of Christmas Cookies



Molasses Cookies!!!!  These are a wonderful Christmas cookie.  But they are the ultimate Fall cookie.  This spice cookie uses cinnamon, ginger, cloves, molasses and dark brown sugar.  What a perfect flavor combination.  The smells that will fill your kitchen will put you in a happy mood.  They are chewy with a light sugar coating.  I really can't stop thinking about these cookies.  A great idea for your Christmas cookie platter but an even better idea is to make them now for your Fall baking.

Molasses Cookies
Recipe by Joy of Baking

Yield: about 3 dozen cookies

Ingredients

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
1/3 cup unsulphured molasses (I used Grandma's Original Molasses)
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated white sugar (for garnish)

Directions

1. In a large bowl, sift or whisk the flour, baking soda, salt and spices.
2. Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. (about 2-3 minutes)
3. Add the oil, molasses, egg and vanilla extract and beat until mixed.  
4. Beat in the flour mixture until well incorporated.  Cover and chill the batter until firm. (about 2 hours or overnight)
5. After the dough has chilled, preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper.
6. Place 1/2 cup white sugar in a small bowl.  Add more sugar if needed.  Roll chilled dough into 1 inch balls.  Then roll the balls of dough into the sugar, coating them all around.  Place on the baking sheet about 2 inches apart.  With the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies slightly.  
7. Bake for about 9-10 minutes or until the tops of the cookies have crinkles and will look a little underdone.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.  Store in an airtight container for up to a week.
   


These cookies are so addicting.  I bet you just can't eat one.
  

More cookie recipes are below in the blog hop.  Keep checking back as additional people join.  You will have plenty of ideas and recipes for your Holiday baking this season.



Enjoy!

Mom's Cooking Club Lesson:  What is molasses?  It's the dark, sweet, syrupy byproduct that you get with the extraction of sugars from sugarcane, sugar beets and grapes.  It is created when the juices from these products are processed.  There is sulphured and unsulphured molasses.  Sulphured molasses has been treated with sulfur dioxide as a preservative.  Unsulphured molasses, which is used in these cookies, has a lighter, cleaner sugar flavor.    


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7 comments:

BreAna {Sugar and Spice and All Things Iced} said...

I love molasses cookies and yours look perfect!! I am definitely adding them to my list of cookies to make!

Aggie said...

I can't wait to try these! They look perfect!

(your pictures are awesome Jame!!)

kita said...

You aren't kidding. These are the perfect fall cookie!

Meal Plan Mom (Brenda) said...

My mother-in-law makes molasses cookies every Christmas but they are so crispy and almost cracker-like I don't care for them. I love the flavors but prefer a chewier cookie. Your's may be just the thing!

Trisha said...

I love chewy cookies, however molasses is extremely hard to come by here, I'm gonna keep a look out though. These turned out perfect!

Beth said...

I love molasses cookies too. So yummy!

Danielle said...

Hi Jamie.
The molasses cookies sound delicious! I am the co-founder of a food/entertaining blog, and we just announced a Virtual Cookie Swap. We'd love for you to submit a recipe or two! The info can be found at http://thecraftyhostess.com/?page_id=1633.

Cheers,
Danielle

 
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