This is one of my all-time favorite Christmas cookie recipes: spicy molasses cookies. They so dang rich, chewy, and flavorful… and the best of all, when they're baking, they fill the kitchen with the scent of apple cider! Trust me, it's really uncanny.
I've made these before with just a hint of chopped fresh ginger added to the dough, and it makes them almost too delicious for words. But the basic recipe is wonderful, too—give it a try both ways!Put them on yourChristmas cookie plates andwrap them up and gift them to your neighbors, but save some for Santa.
Try these fun variations:
1. Drizzle melted white chocolate in decorative stripes over the top of each cookie. Allow to harden before serving. Or: dip half of each cookie in melted white chocolate. Yum.
2. Roll the cookie dough in gold, sparkling sugar instead of granulated sugar before baking. Crunchy, sweet, and sparkly!
3. Make sandwiches using two cookies and a scoop of cinnamon ice cream. Yikes.
4. Eat at all the cookies yourself, then hide all the evidence.
What spices go well with molasses?
Anything sort of warm spice like you'd find in gingerbread. Cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom... you get the picture.
What's the difference between spicy molasses cookies and gingerbread cookies?
It's really all about the texture, because they contain most of the same ingredients. Gingerbread is usually firmer and snappier. Molasses cookies are rich, softer, and chewier.
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- Yields:
- 36 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 15 mins
- Cook Time:
- 11 mins
- Total Time:
- 26 mins
Ingredients
- 1 c.
granulated sugar, plus more for coating
- 3/4 c.
vegetable shortening, such as Crisco
- 1/4 c.
molasses
- 1
large egg
- 2 c.
flour
- 2 1/2 tsp.
baking soda
- 1 tsp.
cinnamon
- 1 tsp.
ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp.
ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp.
ground cardamom
- 1/4 tsp.
salt
Directions
- Step1Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Step2In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, mixthesugar, shortening, molasses, and egg together until well combined. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, and salt. Lightly stir to combine the dry ingredients, then mix until the dough is combined.
- Step3Using your hands, roll the dough into walnut-sized balls, then generously coat each ball with sugar. Place the balls on a baking sheet and bake for 9 to 11 minutes, allowing the cookies to bake about 1 minute more after they begin to crack.
- Step4Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and allow to cool, though these are delicious while still warm.
It’s Cookie Week here on The Pioneer Woman Cooks, and you know what that means! Or not, since I’ve never had Cookie Week before and had never even considered having anything called “Cookie Week” before this morning, when it suddenly dawned on me that Christmas is next week and aside from My Favorite Christmas Cookies, I have a dang po’ selection of cookie recipes on my site. So that’s how I operate: I see a deficiency somewhere on my site and I declare it “The Week of…” whatever the deficiency is. Then I get it all over with in a few days and I can mark that off my List of Things That Make Me Toss and Turn at Night.
No, I don’t have any issues. Why do you ask?
Anyway, here is how to make one of my very favorites.
The Cast of Characters: Sugar, Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Egg, Crisco, Cinnamon, Ground Ginger, Ground Cardamom, Ground Cloves.
Okay, FINE. I’ll show you my cruddy, freakishly messy corner. I’ve been baking a lot. And I hate cleaning up.
This mix of spices is so scrumptious.
Begin by adding 1 cup of sugar to a mixing bowl.
Add in 3/4 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening.) I’m sorry—you know I love butter more ‘my luggage. But there’s something about shortening in cookies.
You’ll just have to trust me on this.
Pour in 1/4 cup regular molasses.
Doesn’t this look like a hot fudge sundae?
Does anyone have a cherry?
Okay, back to the dough: crack in one egg.
Next, with an electric mixer, mix the ingredients together until well combined.
Dump in 2 cups of flour.
Next, add in the spices: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 teaspoon ground ginger (can use fresh, but chopped really finely), and 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom. Note: if you’re missing one of the above ingredients, no big deal. I’ve made this before with just cinnammon and a little bit of allspice. Just use what you have, but keep in mind that spices like ground cloves and cardamom are on the strong side!
Next, add 1/4 teaspoon of salt and 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda.
And now, I shall demonstrate my alternative to mixing dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, which I hate doing. Just stir it around a bit on top of the wet ingredients below…
Now just mix it up gently until everything’s well combined. Don’t beat it to heck…just mix gently.
Next, begin rolling the dough into walnut-sized balls. Try to get them as round as possible, but don’t overly handle them or your grimy, sweaty hands will disrupt the dough.
Just kidding. I’m just projecting. Anyway, place the ball in a bowl of sugar…
Roll each dough ball in the sugar, making sure to really coat it. I usually roll it around to coat, then use my palms to roll it around in a ball for another second or two. Then I roll it back in the sugar a little. This ensures a nice sugar “crust” that’ll really make your skirt fly up—or your pants fall down. Or something.
Place the dough balls on a large baking sheet, then pop them into a 350 degree oven and bake ’em for 9 to 11 minutes, or about one minute after the surface begins to crack. Don’t remove the cookies before they crack!
The cracks are a beautiful reminder of the fallibility of man. Or the San Andreas Fault. Or my crow’s feet. Or my dry knuckles.
Molasses Cookies: they’re perfect for the holidays! Please try them today, or I shall weep.
See you tomorrow for Day Two of Cookie Week. Unless I wake up tomorrow and decide to cancel Cookie Week, which I promise I won’t do. Unless I do.
Love,
Pioneer Woman
