Last weekend I was alone at home, taking care of the farm all by myselfie as the fam were gone off in various directions to visit more family (there’s a lot of us). And while by myself I got a lot done–I had a great weekend, without any bad headaches, and I felt like I could do anything! And so, naturally, I decided to bake.
I haven’t made cookies in months, but I came across a recipe for molasses cookies and couldn’t get them out of my mind. I love molasses cookies–they’re one of my favorites–so after the fam were well on their way and the chooks, Beacon and Chin-pig (our piggies), and the rest of the animals were up and around and fed, I got down to work, listening to Jane Eyre and pulling out ingredients–melting lots of butter, finding the brown sugar, waiting as the molasses slowly poured out of the bottle. . . I had forgotten how much I miss baking, and cooking, it’s been so long since I’ve done it just for fun, instead of in a rush to get food quickly before this or that.
I still didn’t do much cooking while they were gone, but sometimes cookies from scratch and homemade ice cream can be even more fun than stir-fry. . . sometimes.
Even being out of practice and adding a tad too much salt (make sure to actually measure your salt instead of just using you salt grinder and putting in what you think it needs!), I brought these to a bonfire-potluck, and they were snatched up really quickly. I left early so I could shut the chooks up before any varmints discovered the coop was still open, and even with that, the bowl was empty! They were a hit, and I ended up making even more when my fam came home, so they wouldn’t feel left out.
Actually, originally I made a quadruple batch and baked about half for the potluck, then rolled the other half, coated them in sugar, and put the cookie dough balls in a pie-plate in the ‘fridge. But when you do that, remember to let them thaw out for 15-30 minutes before putting them in the oven. When you don’t they stay smaller, and are soft, but aren’t as chewy.
These cookies are perfect for potlucks, dinner parties, holidays, cookie jars, making the house smell great, and teasing the family away from home! (Not that I would do that, of course.) If you like hard cookies (milk-dunkers), all you have to do is bake them a couple of minutes longer. . . or forget to set a timer (whoops!). And, big plus, these don’t take much time to make! I usually make bars rather than cookies because cookies take so long, but these don’t. . . they’re perfect for a little light baking when you have an hour.
Now that you’ve heard all about them, though, I’m sure you’ll want to make these delicious morsels, so here is my recipe, for you!
- 2 cups flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup light or dark molasses
- ¼ cup (packed) light or dark brown sugar
- Coarse sanding sugar, raw sugar, or granulated white sugar (for rolling)
- Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Meanwhile, mix egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.
- Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined or greased baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.
- Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (overbaked cookies won’t be chewy), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
- Do ahead, two ways:
- In the next day or two: Roll cookie dough into balls, coat with sugar, and place in pie-plat, single or double layer, covered. Let sit out 15-30 minutes before cooking.
- For longer: Cookie dough can be made and rolled into balls 2 weeks ahead. Freeze on a baking sheet; transfer to resealable plastic bags. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before rolling in sugar.
Next week I’ll be sharing an ice cream recipe that involves this cookie recipe as well (and that I and my family have hailed as ‘the best yet’), so make sure to come check it out next Friday!
Amalia! Just yesterday I was thinking of molasses cookies; how good of you to provide me with a recipe. About a year ago I tried making Einkorn Molasses cookies, and they failed. Ever since I never seemed to want to take it up again, but perhaps this would be a good one to try. Or, on a second thought, I think Supper Club would really benefit from this dessert. 😉 Love you.
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Oh me, oh my. Aren’t molasses cookies just the yummiest? A nice cup of hot tea and some soft, spicy cookies – it doesn’t get much better. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I may just be mixing up a batch tomorrow.
Amalia, I think I can smell those cookies in my dreams. Chewy ginger molasses cookies are my personal favorite. I would choose them over chocolate chip any day. I will have to try these with gluten free flours when I am a bit stronger. Right now my anemia is preventing me from doing much of anything. I wish you luck in your such for an explanation and cure for your headaches. I understand your pain and frustration as one cause after another is eliminated. I probably had celiac for at least ten-fifteen years before finally getting a diagnosis. The damage done to my entire body was devastating and will take years to recover, if ever. I pray that a solution is found for you, my dear cousin.
These cookies look awesome and the pictures make you want to reach out and grab one! I have a recipe for Molasses cookies of my Grandmama’s that I haven’t made in years and haven’t even thought about making. But, I think I will try yours!!!