December 10, 2020

Cookie Season

It’s December, which means it’s cookie season!

While I don’t celebrate Christmas, I am still very excited about all of the Christmas-themed desserts, especially the cookies. This December, everything is all about the cookies! We’re talking sugar cookies, thumbprint cookies, and these ginger molasses cookies!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

I love ginger cookies. I was never a big fan until recently, but I cannot get enough of these ginger molasses cookies. This recipe comes from Sarah Kieffer’s cookbook, “100 Cookies.” It came out over the summer and everything I’ve made from it is absolutely delicious. The book is exactly what it sounds like, 100 recipes for 100 types of cookies and bars. The book pretty much sticks to classic recipes with all crowd-pleasing cookies.

Sarah is known for her “pan banging” technique. I’ve used the pan banging technique when making other cookies, but it never worked out as well as it did with Sarah’s technique. Her secret is to keep banging the pan down, about 3 or 4 times when baking when the center gets puffy. The pan banging makes the cookies super rippley on the edges and gooey in the middle. The texture perfect and just what you want out of a cookie.

Flavors

With both ginger and molasses in the cookies, the flavors could easily be too much. This recipe finds a good way to balance out both, resulting in a sweet, but not overpowering flavor. The recipe calls for dried ginger as well. I’ve used both fresh and crystallized ginger in other cookies, and prefer dried ginger when baking. The crystallized ginger works well in other cookies that are chewier, but it would just overwhelm these cookies since they are so thin.

The ginger and the molasses also work together to balance each other out. The recipe only calls for two tablespoons of molasses, so it doesn’t overpower the cookies.

Seasonal Cookies

These cookies are definitely seasonal, but easily could be made all year round. The warm spices are perfect for the cold weather. But maybe we should start making these in April or in the middle of July?! They are that good!!

Check out the recipe below and let me know what you are baking this holiday season!

Ginger Molasses Cookies

Print Recipe

Ingredients

1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp ground ginger
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 plus 1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pinch cloves
12 tbsp (1 and 1/2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 and 3/4 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 tbsp mild molasses
1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat the oven 350° and line a baking sheet with parchment. Set aside
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the dry ingredients. Add the flour, spices, salt, and baking soda and whisk to combine.
In the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or using a hand mixer in a medium-sized bowl, cream the butter on medium speed, about 1 minute. Add in 1 and 1/2 cups of the sugar and beat together until light and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Use a spatula to scrape down the bowl as needed. Next, add in the eggs, molasses, and vanilla. Mix together on a low speed until combined.
Add the flour into the egg mixture and mix together on low speed to combine. Use a spatula to make sure everything is mixed together and not sticking to the bowl. Make sure the molasses is incorporated well and the dough is all the same color.
Form the dough using a cookie scoop to 1 tbsp size balls. Roll the cookie dough balls into the remaining sugar.
Place the cookies on the prepared sheet pan, about 6 at a time. Bake the cookies for about 7-8 minutes before the first "bang." The cookie dough balls should spread out, but be puffy in the middle. When the cookies look ready, lift one side of the pan up about 4 inches and gently drop it back down. The cookies should flatten out, especially the puffy part in the middle. Repeat the process about 2 minutes later. The cookies should look the same, just with more ripples. Repeat this process 3-4 more times. When done, the cookies should look a little gooey in the middle and have lots of rippled edges. The cookies should take about 14-16 minutes to cook in total.
Move the cookies to a rack and let them cool completely. When they are done, move them to an airtight container. The cookies will last 3-4 days. These cookies can also be frozen and last up to one month in the freezer.

Notes

Sarah's recipe calls to make the cookies in 3 oz balls. So if you want giant cookies, go for it. I opted for smaller cookies, using less dough per cookie.

Did you make this recipe?! Let me know and share it on Instagram. Tag @crispcrumble and use the hashtag #crispandcrumble.