Giant Molasses Cookies (small batch)

 

I am taking my daughter and her husband out for supper tonight as I write this. (Monday) I don't get to spend time with them very often and thought it would be a nice treat for us all.  My daughter hasn't been feeling very well lately. She has a lot of trouble with her ears and neither one of them gets to eat out at a restaurant very often, so this will be lovely.

I thought I would bake some cookies for them to take home afterwards.  Instead of dessert.  The desserts where at most of the restaurants where we live are always highly priced and leave a lot to be said for.  In other words, they are not very good, but then again, they are probably brought in premade and frozen!

Not like when I was a young pastry chef working in a restaurant. Everything was made from scratch back then and it showed.  Nothing was pumped out in quantity and the quality was so much better.  Just my two cents worth.

 

I had seen this Molasses Cookie recipe on Taste of Home, a part of an article on Prize Winning Cookies.  They looked really delicious.  Quite similar to a cookie I used to make for my children when they were growing up called Ginger Crinkles.

They are not at all like my mother's Molasses Cookies, which were very old fashioned in comparison.  I do love those ones very much. This recipe I am sharing today makes a much sweeter cookie.  Both are still excellent. Put it this way, I love them both, but for different reasons.

Mom's are softer, almost pillow like.  They are not as sweet and go wonderfully with a glass of milk. These are chewy with crispy edges, and quite sweet, but also would go wonderfully with a glass of cold milk, and both would also go beautifully with a dish of vanilla ice cream. (Just saying!)

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GIANT MOLASSES COOKIES (small batch)

Some pretty simple everyday baking cupboard ingredients and a couple of large baking sheets. Baking parchment makes clean up a breeze.

• 3/4 cup (172g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups (281g) plain all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 dozen whole pecan halves
• coarse sugar to roll them in (about 1/2 cup/100g)

 

I use salted butter. I only keep salted butter in the house and have never found it to be a problem when baking anything and I am a person who doesn't use salt on my food when I am eating.  

I used Kirkland organic granulated sugar.  I like it.  Also use regular table molasses, not black strap, or dark treacle (in the U.K.).  Dark treacle and molasses are not the same thing.  If you cannot get regular molasses and are in the U.K. mix together equal parts of dark and light treacle to give you the same amount of molasses needed.

Large eggs in North America are the same as medium sized eggs in the U.K.

I coated them in demerara sugar, or what is also known as turbinado sugar.

The original recipe called for chopped pecans to be added to the dough. I opted to top each cookie with a whole pecan instead. This worked beautifully and they were pretty to look at! The nuts also toasted nicely.

 

HOW TO MAKE GIANT MOLASSES COOKIES (SMALL BATCH)

These are an easy make.  A simple dough, rolled into balls, then sugar, placed on a baking sheet, topped with a nut and then baked. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Line several large baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.

Whisk the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt together in a bowl. Set aside for now.

Put the coarse sugar in a bowl and set aside for now.

Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric hand whisk. Beat in the egg and then beat in the molasses.

 

Beat in the flour mixture in thirds, beating until it is all incorporated and there are no dry streaks.

Scoop out dough 2 TBS at a time and shape into 2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the coarse sugar to coat and place onto the baking sheets, leaving 3 inches in between each ball. Top each with a pecan half, pressing it in slightly.

Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. The tops will be cracked, and they should be a light golden brown around the edges and on the bottoms.

Remove from the oven. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before lifting off onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.  Store in an airtight container.

You can freeze these in an airtight container for up to three months.

 

HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING GREAT COOKIES

1. Baking is an exact science, so you should take care when measuring ingredients.  Flour should be spooned into the cup and then leveled off with the flat edge of a ruler or knife.  The best way to measure is by weight as weights never change, whereas cups can vary quite a bit in size and measurements.

2. Have all of your ingredients at room temperature. This is especially important when it comes to creaming fats and sugars together.  Using room temperature ingredients helps to incorporate more air into the dough. Also, if your eggs are at room temperature, they will incorporate better and whip up fluffier.

3. When creaming make sure the mixture is well creamed, light and fluffy and not granular in appearance. If the sugar has dissolved properly the mixture will not be granular. This is what you want.

4. Take care not to overmix your dough as this will toughen your cookies. Once you start to add the flour/dry ingredients, only mix until well combined and no dry streaks remain.

5. Preheat your oven to the correct temperature before beginning.

6. Use cold baking sheets and allow them to cool back down in between batches.

7.  Leave plenty of space between your cookies as you place them on the baking sheet. Do NOT crowd them.  This will allow for air to circulate properly between them.  Anywhere from 2 inches to 3 inches depending on the cookie spread is recommended.

8. Use only the freshest of ingredients for the best flavor and level of success.  Old out of date ingredients taste stale and nasty. Out of date baking powder and soda will not give you a good rise. I always break my eggs into a separate bowl before adding just to make sure they are okay. You can check the fizz of baking powder and soda by adding a bit to warm water first.  

 

These cookies are VERY good. I can see why they would be a prize winner.  They are very similar to the Molasses Crinkles I used to make for my children when they were growing up, although that old recipe contained shortening and this one doesn't. I think I like this one a lot more.

These are deliciously chewy with lovely crisp and buttery edges. The sugar coating is just the right touch and I like the pecan in the middle rather than having them strewn throughout.  I highly recommend that you try these.  I promise you that you won't regret it! 

I probably didn't make mine quite as large as the original recipe as I got 18 large and delicious cookies.

Are you a fan of the small batch recipe? (Any can be doubled.) Are you a cookie monster like me?  You might also like the following small batch options!

HERMIT COOKIES - A delicious old fashioned drop cookie that is lightly spiced and loaded with sweet and sticky raisins and toasted walnuts. These are the type of cookie that your grandmother would have made.  Very delicious and comforting with a glass of cold milk!

SMALL BATCH AMISH SUGAR COOKIES - This is a cookie I used to bake for my children quite often when they were growing up. I used to try to have some kind of a treat waiting for them every day when they got home from school. You can leave them plain or glaze them if you wish. You can even put a spot of jam in the middle before baking. Totally delicious!

Yield: A dozen large cookies

Author: Marie Rayner

Giant Molasses Cookies (small batch)

Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Chewy, sugar coated and delicious. These are the perfect cookies to enjoy with a cold glass of milk. This is a small batch recipe that can easily be doubled for the larger family. My little Miss Piggy heartily approves!

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (172g) butter, at room temperature
• 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) molasses
• 1 large egg
• 2 1/4 cups (281g) plain all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp powdered ginger
• 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1 dozen whole pecan halves
• coarse sugar to roll them in (about 1/2 cup/100g)

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4. Line several large baking sheets with baking parchment. Set aside.
2. Whisk the flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom and salt together in a bowl. Set aside for now.
3. Put the coarse sugar in a bowl and set aside for now.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy using an electric hand whisk. Beat in the egg and then beat in the molasses.
5. Beat in the flour mixture in thirds, beating until it is all incorporated and there are no dry streaks.
6. Scoop out dough 2 TBS at a time and shape into 2-inch balls. Roll the balls in the coarse sugar to coat and place onto the baking sheets, leaving 3 inches in between each ball. Top each with a pecan half, pressing it in slightly.
7. Bake in the preheated oven for 13 to 15 minutes. The tops will be cracked and they should be a light golden brown around the edges and on the bottoms.
8. Remove from the oven. Leave to cool on the baking sheets for several minutes before lifting off onto a wire rack to finish cooling completely.
9. Store in an airtight container.

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