Okay… So maybe I’ve been going about this cookie contest wrong. Maybe a simple perfect cookie is the way to go. And this is most definitely a simple perfect cookie!
I was cleaning the baking cabinet the other day – everyone has a baking cabinet, right?!? – and while cleaning the molasses and honey jars that were glued to the shelf, a chewy molasses cookie came to mind. Since I have a free day off, today, and it’s a zillion degrees below zero outside, I thought it a perfect day for experimenting!
I just reworked an old cookie recipe I’ve had forever – adding some brown sugar and rolling them in demerara sugar before baking.
They’re crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. Good flavor but not overpowering.
I think they’re contenders!
Molasses Chews
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 tsp ginger
- 1 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 egg
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1/3 cup molasses
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- demerara sugar
Preheat oven to 375°.
Mix egg, butter, molasses, and sugars. Blend flour, baking soda, and spices together. Mix wet and dry ingredients just to combine.
Scoop out walnut-sized pieces of dough and roll into balls. Roll in sugar and place on parchment-lined baking sheets about 2″ apart.
Bake cookies until cookies are puffed and cracked – about 10 minutes.
Cool and enjoy!
This is a cookie that you don’t want to incorporate a lot of air into, so melting the butter instead of creaming it and mixing just until everything is incorporated works best. You don’t even need to dirty the mixer – it can all be done by hand.
And if you don’t have demerara sugar, roll them in granulated. It will still work.
Now… if you really do want to take them over the top, you can always make a ginger cream filling – or a lemon cream – and turn them into sandwich cookies!
I’m leaving them alone, for today and enjoying their outrageous simplicity!