cook like james

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies  

Download Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies Recipe

Christmas in a cookie! You can roll them in sugar or drizzle them with icing – either way, they’re perfect for the holidays.

2 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (11 1/4 ounces)

1 ½ teaspoon baking soda 

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon 

1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger 

½ teaspoon ground cloves 

¼ teaspoon ground allspice 

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper 

¼ teaspoon salt 

12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened but still cool

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ cup sugar

1 large egg 

1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

1/3 cup molasses (about 6 ounces), light or dark

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 cup sugar for dipping in 8- or 9-inch cake pan.

2. Whisk flour, baking soda, spices, and salt in medium bowl until thoroughly combined; set aside.

3. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter with brown and granulated sugars at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and add yolk and vanilla; increase speed to medium and beat until incorporated, about 20 seconds. Reduce speed to medium-low and add molasses; beat until fully incorporated, about 20 seconds, scraping bottom and sides of bowl once with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to lowest setting; add flour mixture and beat until just incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping bowl down once. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no pockets of flour remain at bottom. Dough will be soft.

4. Using tablespoon measure, scoop heaping tablespoon of dough and roll between palms into 1 1/2-inch ball; drop ball into cake pan with sugar and repeat to form about 4 balls. Toss balls in sugar to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Drop 2-3 drops of water to create crinkled surface. Repeat with remaining dough. Bake 1 sheet at a time until cookies are browned, still puffy, and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between cracks and seem underdone), about 11 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake.

5. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes, then use wide metal spatula to transfer cookies to wire rack; cool cookies to room temperature. When completely cool, return cookies to cooled parchment-lined baking sheets. Whisk confectioners' sugar and 2 ½ tablespoons dark rum in medium bowl until smooth. If the glaze is too thick to drizzle, whisk in additional tablespoon rum. Dip spoon into glaze and then move spoon over cookies so that glaze drizzles down onto them; repeat as necessary. Transfer cookies to wire rack and allow glaze to dry, 10 to 15 minutes.