Saturday, July 15, 2006

Even the Cookbook Junkie doesn't always understand the Cookbook Junkie



Molasses Cookies
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006 Copyright 2005

1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup vegetable shortening
½ cup molasses
1 large egg
2 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup water
¼ cup granulated sugar
cooking spray

1. Combine brown sugar and shortening in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg; beat well. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture; beat at low speed just until blended. Cover and freeze 1 hour.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Place water in a small bowl. Place granulated sugar in another small bowl. Lightly coat hands with cooking spray. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Dip one side of each ball in water; dip wet side in sugar. Place balls, sugar side up, 1 inch apart, on baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove from pans; cool on wire racks.

I scooped the dough (with my larger scoop) without freezing it since I didn't have the freezer space to freeze it. Then I sprinkled the dough with sugar without using any water. My sugar was very uneven.

Yield: 4 dozen. Per cookie: 66 cal, 2 g fat, .7 g protein, 11.8 g carbs, .2 g carbs, 4 mg sodium, .5 mg chol, 67 mg sodium, 12 mg calcium
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Sometimes you probably wonder 'why on earth did she pick that recipe?' I admit, sometimes I wonder myself. Why on earth was I making spicy molasses cookies in the middle of summer? I honestly don't know. As soon as I mixed the dry ingredients, I came to my senses but it was too late to turn back.

Maybe I was trying to recreate my first molasses cookie experience - a huge, soft, bakery cookie that was probably not that spicy, now that I think about it. It has never been lived up to, not even now. These were wonderful, chewy, flavorful molasses cookies but nothing like that first molasses cookie. I'll have to keep trying to recreate those.

What's nice about this recipe is that one cookie is satisfying and I don't feel the need to keep shoveling them in. Make Big Chocolate Chip Cookies if you want to wow a crowd, but save this recipe for your cookie jar or even to add variety to a cookie tray.

We're having a heat wave starting today, so I hope I can stick to my menu this week. Nothing is planned for the oven, except Fridays pizza, which I really hate to skip since we eat the leftovers from that all weekend.

Question of the Day: Did you think these were chocolate cookies before you read the post?

6 comments:

Heather said...

No I didn't because the picture didn't show up right away on my screen so I had aleady read the recipe when it did.
Just to add, I don't think it is odd that you made these cookies this time of year because I have been thinking of trying some, I think they are showing up in more places these days.
Call me crazy if you want.

Anonymous said...

When I first saw the pic, I thought they were gingersnaps. I love gingersnaps with a cup of hot tea, even in the summer.

Anonymous said...

I also read the name before the picture came on. If not for that, I probably would have assumed they were chocolate. I love molasses cookies. Sometimes I use a recipe where you dip half of the cookie in white chocolate coating.

Jan

Jennifer said...

Nope...I knew that was a molasses cookie. I LOVE molasses cookies, however nobody I know likes them. That makes me sad :(

Unknown said...

I did, I admit it. I have a molasses cookie recipe that I'll have to compare to this one. They are one of my favorite, moist cookies.

Anonymous said...

I thought they were chocolate except I had read the title, so I was cinfused :)

The recipe that you MUST try for the best ginger cookie according to your description/memory is the BIG SOFT GINGER COOKIES from Allrecipes.com. They are everyone's favorite when I make them. They have a 4.7 star rating with 3,912 reviews :). My favorite recipes are personally the Molasses Spice Cookies from America's Test Kitchen and the Gingersnaps from Cooks Illustrated because I like a really strong ginger flavor, but seriously you have to try that first recipe...they are SO good, moist, not too strong but not boring, just perfect!