The Best Molasses Cookies

The Sunday before Christmas I was a baking madwoman. I made a double batch of Chex Mix (my grandma always made it for Christmas), a pan of Rice Krispie Treats (for my nephews), a pan of magic bars, and a batch of molasses cookies.

The molasses cookie recipe is from Epicurious, but I first learned of this recipe from Cookie Madness--if you love cookies and don't read this blog you've been missing out. Marye at Baking Delights has her version of this recipe too!

These cookies are crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. I rolled my cookies in turbinado sugar before baking (a Cookie Madness suggestion) and the crunch of the large-grained sugar is so good! I think they taste like Pepperidge Farms Gingermen cookies (which my mom would send to me at summer camp), only better. I had D deliver a package of these cookies to each of our neighbors on Christmas morning.

Below is the recipe from Epicurious with my modifications:

Molasses Cookies
(Originally from Gourmet November 1995)

Servings: Makes about 25 very large cookies (or 50 normal-sized cookies)

4 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cloves

1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon

1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened

1 stick (1/2 cup) margarine

3 cups sugar

1/2 cup unsulfured molasses

2 large eggs

1/2 cup turbinado sugar, sugar in the raw, or regular white sugar

Preheat oven to 325°F and lightly grease 2 large baking sheets (or line with parchment paper).

In a large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon.

In another large bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter, margarine, and 3 cups sugar until light and fluffy and beat in molasses. Beat in eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture and combine well.

In a small shallow bowl put remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Form dough into 2-inch balls and roll in sugar. On baking sheets arrange balls about 4 inches apart and flatten slightly with bottom of a glass dipped in sugar. (1 inch balls yield regular sized cookies...just cook for a slightly shorter amount of time)

Bake cookies in batches in middle of the oven 15 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Cookies should be soft. Transfer cookies with a metal spatula to racks to cool.

Note: I don't typically use margarine in anything, but margarine tends to give cookies a chewier texture than all butter. I haven't tried these with all butter. Oh, and in the original recipe it lists in the ingredients 3 1/2 cups of sugar and it doesn't say "divided" so I put all 3 1/2 cups into the cookie dough and then used another 1/2 cup of sugar to roll the cookies in. The cookies came out fine, but it's yet another reminder to me to read the entire recipe before starting to cook!!! Oh, and next time I bake these I'll take a nice picture of the finished cookies. To see a close up picture from Cookie Madness, click here.