cookie calendar - day 19: molasses spice cookies

I cannot thank Jen enough for being the one who sent me and Paul to our first Toronto Underground Market back in September. Previously, we were either busy on the day of the event or couldn't get our hands on tickets, but a few months ago, I won tickets from Jen and we had a fabulous time attending our first TUM.

But, event tickets aside, Jen has one of my most favourite food blogs. It's gorgeous. Her photos and writing style are elegant and always makes me hungry. There's just something about her blog that makes me feel warm and happy - like a really good meal does.

When Jen sent me her cookie recipe, I was extra happy because I had tried making my own molasses cookies for the Cookie Advent Calendar, but they didn't turn out (12 raw cookies went into the oven, 1 massive blob of cookie came out of the oven - but that's a story for another day!) So, I'm glad that she's sharing her recipe with us as I really want to get the hang of molasses cookies!

You can follow Jen here:

blog: foodpr0n.com

twitter: @foodpr0n

facebook: foodpr0n

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

I love molasses spice cookies. That chewy texture and deep molasses taste is so good, especially with a cup of coffee. Several years ago, I undertook a quest to find the right recipe that matched the molasses spice cookies that Starbucks had. I’m not sure I found the recipe, but after several taste-tests from my fellow SB addicts, we found one we liked and then of course, I tweaked it to my tastes. This one has a more pronounced molasses taste, as that’s what I love. I also dumped in some nutmeg and adjusted the quantities of the salt and other spices.

This recipe is pretty easy. Just need to make sure the butter and eggs are brought up to room-temperature before you begin. The molasses should be in ml, but I like making this all in one bowl – less to wash!

molasses spice cookies
printer-friendly version

Recipe makes 12 cookies

ingredients:

170g salted butter, softened

220g dark brown sugar

1 egg, large

160g molasses (1/2 c)

3g salt (1/2 tsp)

6g baking soda (1 tsp)

1.5g cloves (1/4 tsp)

3g cinnamon (1/2 tsp)

3g ginger (1/2 tsp)

1.5g nutmeg (1/4 tsp)

350g all purpose flour

directions:

1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar.

2. Add molasses and egg. Beat until well-mixed.

3. Add salt, baking soda, and spices.

4. Fold in flour.

5. Chill dough 1-2 hours until firm.

6. Scoop dough into balls and roll in sugar.

Step 6 can be done before step 5 and dough can be frozen to bake later.

Bake at 325°F for about 12 minutes from frozen. This is for a #70 scoop (3″ cookies), which equates to about 45-50 cookies. Highly recommend doing a test-bake with your oven. I found that it varies a lot. Make sure you leave it on the tray for a minute or two to set.

What you’re looking for is that sweet-spot when you start to get those attractive craggy splits in the cookie – but only just. Store in an air-tight container for up to a week. Best eaten in the first few days unless you really under-bake them.

The recipe and all photos used in this blog post belong to Jen Chan of foodpr0n.com and should not be reprinted without her express permission.