Description
Molasses cookies bring warmth from traditional New England kitchens to your table. Rich spices and deep caramel notes create a comforting treat you’ll savor with each delightful bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- ¾ cup (170 g / 6 oz) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g / 7.05 oz) brown sugar, packed
- 2 ¼ cups (280 g / 9.88 oz) all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup (60 ml / 2 fl oz) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsps ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ cup (50 g / 1.76 oz) granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Preparation: Calibrate oven to 350F (175C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats for optimal non-stick performance.
- Creaming: Utilize electric mixer to whip butter and sugar into a voluminous, pale cream, establishing the foundational texture for delicate cookies.
- Wet Ingredients: Integrate molasses and egg, creating a glossy, uniform mixture that will impart deep, complex flavor characteristics to the final product.
- Dry Ingredient Blend: Meticulously sift flour, baking soda, aromatic spices, and salt in a separate bowl, ensuring even distribution of leavening agents and seasonings.
- Dough Formation: Delicately incorporate dry ingredients into wet mixture, minimizing stirring to preserve the dough’s tender structure and prevent potential toughness.
- Shaping: Sculpt uniform dough spheres approximately one inch in diameter, lavishly coating each with granulated sugar to create a sparkling, crisp exterior.
- Baking: Strategically arrange cookie spheres on prepared sheets, allowing sufficient space for gentle expansion, and bake until edges set and surfaces develop characteristic crackled patterns, typically 8-10 minutes.
- Cooling: Allow cookies to rest momentarily on baking sheets to stabilize structure, then transfer to cooling racks to complete setting and develop optimal texture.
Notes
- Temperature Precision: Calibrate oven exactly at 350F to ensure consistent, even baking and prevent under or over-cooking of cookies.
- Creaming Technique: Whip butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, which creates air pockets for softer, more tender cookie texture.
- Minimal Mixing Approach: Fold dry ingredients gently into wet mixture to maintain delicate dough structure and prevent tough, dense cookies.
- Sugar Coating Trick: Roll dough balls generously in granulated sugar for a sparkling, crisp exterior that adds delightful crunch and subtle sweetness.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 25
- Calories: 120
- Sugar: 9 g
- Sodium: 85 mg
- Fat: 5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 17 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1.5 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg