Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies

Saturday, January 25, 2014 Add Comment Edit

From the kitchen of One Perfect Bite...I've been busy baking cookies for a realtor open house we'll be having week after next. While I prefer freshly baked cookies, the cookie I'm featuring tonight is earmarked for the freezer. My left eye has stabilized, so we can finally proceed with the transplant for the right eye. I'll be out of commission for a while, so I'm trying to get my house in order, cookies and all, before the "thou shalt nots" kick in. Obviously, one limitation will be the amount of time I can devote to the blog. Using a combination of old and new, I hope to schedule posts for the days I can't access the computer. That, anyway, is the plan. Should I miss a day or two, I hope you'll understand. I want to share these delicious molasses cookies with you, as well as the realtors, because they are so simple to make. They require no special equipment, save for a bowl and wooden spoon, and while the cookies look crisp, they are actually soft, chewy and undeniably delicious. My only caution is a reminder not to over-bake them. I pulled the cookies in these photos after they had been in the oven for 8 minutes. I let them cool on the baking pans for about 10 minutes more before I transferred them to cooling racks. At that point, you should be able to move and lift the cookies without them bending. The recipe for these gems comes from Bon Appetit magazine. If you are looking for an easy cookie recipe, I hope you'll give this one a try. Here is how the cookies are made.

Soft and Chewy Molasses Cookies...from the kitchen of One Perfect Bite courtesy of Bon Appetit magazine

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
3/4 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup mild-flavored (light) or robust-flavored (dark) molasses
1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup additional sugar for rolling (sanding sugar if possible)

Directions:
1) Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven, Preheat to 375 degrees F.
2) Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.
3) Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by a tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2-inches apart.
4) Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (over-baked cookies won't be chewy), about 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool. Yield: 2-1/2 dozen.

Cook's note: 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.