Every year around this time I find myself falling into the same pattern, the one where I lose focus for one second and it goes from being Labor Day to Christmas Day in the blink of an eye. At that point, I look around and wonder why I didn’t make cookies this year, or appropriately compile a Christmas list or do a thousand other festive things I’d definitely planned to do but failed to allocate time for. This year, I have a packed schedule for the next 6 weeks that includes: hosting Thanksgiving for the first time, taking a 6-day trip to London in early December and organizing a festive dinner party for 10 in the middle of the month, on an ever-tricky Friday night. And I’m determined to do it all.
“Doing it all” in this case includes testing a wide variety of Christmas cookies, something that has eluded me in the past few years. Despite my best intentions, come December 25, I have baked zero to one batch. This year, however, things are different. I started in late October with these fabulous chewy molasses cookies, which come out in the top 3 of my best holiday cookies list. Since then I’ve been testing a new cookie every week, so by the time we’re a few weeks out I’ll have shared the best ones here…and eaten a ton of cookies.
Growing up, baking holiday cookies to give to our teachers was one of our favorite projects of the year. We’d bake three or four different kinds, wrap them in acetate sheets, tie them with a beautiful bow and hand them out before vacation started. In adulthood, I’m drawn to making those same cookies – nostalgia, I guess. These, however, were not in those packs (they’re a bit more of an adult taste I think) and today are some of my favorites.
I’ve made molasses cookies here before, but these are distinctly different. They’re puffy and chewy, with a crisp exterior and pillowy center, and the demerara sugar creates a very satisfying crunch. They’re also deeply, deeply spiced with cardamom, the darkest molasses, cinnamon and ginger. Last but not least, they are gorgeous, puffing up on the sheet pan and creating a little crinkle pattern down their middles. If you celebrate Christmas, make sure these get in your acetate gift pouches, and if you don’t, then enjoy a batch of cookies that taste exactly like winter with a cup of hot cider.
Cookie dough can be made and rolled into balls 2 weeks ahead. Freeze on a baking sheet; transfer to resealable plastic bags. Let sit at room temperature 30 minutes before rolling in sugar.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 11/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup mild-flavored (light) or robust-flavored (dark) molasses (I did half and half)
- 1/4 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
- Coarse sanding or raw sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Place racks in lower and upper thirds of oven; preheat to 375°. Whisk flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt in a small bowl. Whisk egg, butter, granulated sugar, molasses, and brown sugar in a medium bowl. Mix in dry ingredients just to combine.
- Place sanding sugar in a shallow bowl. Scoop out dough by the tablespoonful and roll into balls (if dough is sticky, chill 20 minutes). Roll in sugar and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing 2” apart.
- Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets halfway through, until cookies are puffed, cracked, and just set around edges (overbaked cookies won’t be chewy), 8–10 minutes. Transfer to wire racks and let cool.
Notes
https://www.thekitchenchronicles.com/2017/11/15/chewy-molasses-cookies/
