Crispy Molasses Cookies with Ridged Edges
Let's dive into this scrumptious, old-school holiday cookie recipe, y'all! Betty Crocker's got us covered with these easy-peasy, Molasses Crinkle Cookies. They're perfect for the chilly winter nights, warmed up with a hot toddy by a crackling fire while the snow falls, amirite? These babies combine the classic holiday flavors of molasses, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves, and they practically decorate themselves as they bake!
These bad boys don't require any fancy icing or cookie cutters. As they cook, they flatten and crack open on their own, leaving a pretty exterior that'll brighten up your holiday dessert spread!
Ingredients you'll need: There's a range of molasses options out there, from light to blackstrap. But for this recipe, dark (or robust) molasses gives the best flavor. Don't forget to grab some sanding sugar, which can be found in gourmet grocery stores or online. It'll add a bright, shimmery touch to your cookies.
This recipe was part of our Crazy-Easy Christmas Cookies collection.
- Yield: Approximately 40 cookies
- Difficulty: A cinch! (Easy as pie)
- Total: 40 mins, plus chilling time
Ingredients (11)
- 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
- 3/4 cup room temperature shortening
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup dark molasses, like Grandma's Robust
- 1/2 cup coarse-grained sugar, such as Demerara or turbinado, or white sanding sugar
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt to remove any lumps. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the shortening, brown sugar, egg, and molasses until smooth. Add the flour mixture and stir until a soft dough forms. Cover and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and arrange 2 racks to divide the oven into thirds. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Place the coarse-grained or sanding sugar in a large dish and spread evenly. Form the chilled dough into 1-inch balls (around 1 tablespoon each) and roll in the sugar, pressing gently so the sugar adheres to the bottoms. Place the dough balls sugar-side up and 2 inches apart on one of the prepared baking sheets. Repeat for the second baking sheet, keeping the remaining dough chilled.
- Bake for 6 minutes. Rotate the sheets front to back and top to bottom. Continue baking until the edges are set but the tops are still slightly soft, about 5 to 6 more minutes.
- Transfer the baking sheets to wire racks and cool for 5 minutes. Carefully transfer the cookies to the wire racks to cool completely. Repeat with the remaining dough (you can use the same baking sheets while still warm).
Enrichment Data:
When it comes to selecting molasses for your Molasses Crinkle Cookies, there are various options with unique flavor profiles. Here are some suggestions:
- Fancy Molasses: Popular for molasses cookies due to its mild taste. It's widely available and is a good choice for those who prefer a balanced flavor[1][2].
- Mild Molasses: Similar to Fancy molasses, it offers a lighter flavor and can be a suitable substitute[1].
- Black Treacle: A slightly stronger alternative, often used in British baking[1].
- Cooking Molasses: While it can work for molasses cookies, it may not offer as smooth a flavor as Fancy molasses. It's still a viable option for those who prefer a slightly stronger molasses taste[2].
- Unsulphured Molasses: A versatile choice, providing a well-rounded flavor that suits a wide range of recipes[2].
Skip Blackstrap Molasses, as it's much darker, has a stronger flavor, and may be too robust and bitter for these cookies[1][2]. Opt for lighter, sweeter molasses for a better cookie experience!
These Molasses Crinkle Cookies from the Crazy-Easy Christmas Cookies collection, yield around 40 cookies. With a difficulty level of 'a cinch!', this recipe takes about 40 minutes, with some chilling time, along with ingredients like all-purpose flour, baking soda, spices, shortening, dark brown sugar, egg, dark molasses, coarse-grained sugar, and sanding sugar. While using dark molasses gives the best flavor in this recipe, options like Fancy Molasses, Mild Molasses, Black Treacle, Cooking Molasses, and Unsulphured Molasses can also be considered, avoiding Blackstrap Molasses due to its stronger flavor.
