Cook the Book: Soft Molasses Cookies
This Recipe First Appeared In: How to Ship Baked Goods
[Flickr: purrfectly_kittenish]
While surveying the many cookies I have baked this week, it occurred to me that they all fall into the crisp, crumbly, and crunchy camp of cookies. So, to mix things up I have decided to end this week with a soft cookie recipe.
These Soft Molasses Cookies from The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion achieve their perfect soft cookie texture from being pulled out of the oven while the centers are still soft and quite puffy.
As they cool the centers fall creating tiny ridges and canyons sparking with light coating of sugar. The flavor is pretty much unbeatable—rich and earthy with molasses and just the right hint of warm spice from the cloves and ginger. The cookies also turned out to be the ideal cookie size—big enough that you can theoretically be satisfied with one, but not so large that you feel bad about eating a few.
One more note: The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion is one of the best baking books I have ever used. Every cookie came out perfect, not a single dud. It's a solid five hundred pages of cookie recipes that even the most amateur baker can feel comfortable tackling.
Win The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion
As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of The King Arthur Flour Cookie Companion to give away this week.
Ingredients
serves 44 cookies
- 1 cup (2 sticks , 8 ounces) unsalted butter
- 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, plus more for coating the dough
- 1/2 cup (6 ounces) molasses
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves
- 3/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 large eggs
- 3 1/2 cups (14 3/4 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
Procedures
-
1
In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the molasses while mixing at a slow speed, then the baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated. Stir in the flour. Cover the bowl and refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
-
2
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
-
3
Shape or scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls; a tablespoon cookie scoop works well here. Roll them in granulated sugar and put them on the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between them.
11 comments:
Coincidentally I made these cookies this past weekend. Very soft & flavorful - a keeper!
sunfastrose at 3:37PM on 12/11/09
Man, I love molasses cookies. I wish more good cookie purveyors would sell them. (I'm too lazy to bake)
bebo at 3:52PM on 12/11/09
This is one of my child hood favorites--exact same recipe--we called them molasses crinkles. I'll have to send my father some for Christmas and put a plate of them out for Santa on Christmas Eve.
dhorst at 9:04PM on 12/11/09
King Arthur recipes are always successful.
dmcavanagh at 12:34AM on 12/12/09
I used to eat a lot of these cookies in my childhood days along with my mom's bruschetta. Makes a great snack
linda5508 at 3:40AM on 12/12/09
i just licked my screen. not as tasty as i imagine those cookies to be. must make!
gastronomeg at 10:38AM on 12/12/09
I made these tonight and they came out great! I rolled them in turbinado sugar instead of granulated sugar to give them a little texture. They came out chewy and flavorful and made my house smell quite Christmasy.
stinapa at 10:03PM on 12/12/09
I made them last night. Loved them!!! Easy and wonderful flavor!!! http://sseichinger.blogspot.com/2009/12/maybe-new-favorite-cookie.html
scotte at 7:54PM on 12/14/09
We made these over the weekend, and they are fantastic. Super easy, especially with a Kitchen-Aid...
jbrtwo at 3:01PM on 12/16/09
Question about the dough: I've got a batch in the oven right now, but I have lots of dough left. Can I toss it in the fridge for another day or two and bake the rest to bring to a party this weekend?
The Opoponax at 6:00PM on 12/16/09
I made these last night. They're very tasty, and I love the fact that it can all be done with 1 mixing bowl.
Emily H at 11:51AM on 12/21/09