Recipe of the Month: Molasses Cookies

I came across this recipe when I wanted to bake something simple that wasn't just a classic chocolate chip cookie. There seem to be polarizing opinions on molasses itself, but once mixed into cookies, it is tasty for all. These cookies were gone in a jiffy, and I didn't even have time to snap a photo. All the rich spice flavors are brought out in these cookies. The batch made a reasonable amount, and I definitely will be making these cookies again as a way to spice up (literally and figuratively) my typical baking routine. This recipe is taken from Love and Lemons.

Ingredients

½ c unsalted room temperature butter
⅓ c packed brown sugar
⅓ c white sugar
⅓ c molasses
1 t vanilla extract
2 c all-purpose flour
2 t cinnamon
1 t baking soda
1 t ground ginger
½ t ground cardamom
½ t fine sea salt
1 T water
⅓ c cane sugar, for rolling

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and grease a baking sheet or two.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Add the molasses and vanilla and mix again.

3. Gradually add the remaining dry ingredients (flour, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, cardamom, and salt) to the wet ingredients, mixing after each addition. Mix in the 1 tablespoon water.

4. Scoop the dough and use your hands to roll it into roughly 2-inch balls. If the dough feels dry, mix in ½ tablespoon additional water. Roll the cookie dough balls in the cane sugar and arrange 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet. Press down slightly on the tops of the balls and bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are puffed and cracking on top. Remove from the oven and let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

5. Share with others and enjoy!

The cookies did not survive the afternoon.