Soft & Chewy Molasses Cookies
mmm, soft and chewy molasses cookies. The simple taste of them bring me back to my grandma's house. She didn't ever make them, but we would go to the farmers market on the weekend and pick some up from a vendor that also had the best strawberry rhubarb pie.
I don't come from a line of bakers, but I really enjoy it. The meticulous nature of baking, paired with the chemistry of it really interests me and lets me relax. When I bake, that's the only thing I can think about otherwise the baked goods will be baked bads.
The cookies I would get at the farmer's market were dark and spicy but had a nice layer of icing on top to offset the savory nature of this cookie. I haven't been to that farmer's market in years, but the smell of these cookies baking took me right back to downtown Dubuque.
These cookies would be the perfect pairing for coffee or hot chai latte in the morning or even some nice cinnamon bourbon after dinner.
Sugared Molasses Cookies
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
½ cup molasses
2 eggs
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Demerara sugar, for rolling
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
With a stand mixer (or hand mixer), cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one by one and molasses, and beat on medium-low speed until combined
In a separate medium bowl, sift the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg together. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet ingredient bowl. Refrigerate dough for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Once chilled, use a 1-inch cookie scoop or roll the dough into 1-inch balls. Fill a small bowl with demerara sugar, and roll each ball in the sugar until it is completely coated. Place on a cookie sheet at least 1 inch apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes. When the cookies begin to crack on top they are just about down, they’ll also continue to crack when they cool. Remove from the oven and let cool for a few minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.