Cookie of the Week: Chewy Molasses Crinkles
I wanted to bake something festive but not obvious for my office holiday party. I came across these cookies in my Martha Stewart’s Cookies bible and thought them perfect. Going off the description, they would have been. But now it’s my second gripe for Ms. Martha. These cookies are categorized under soft and chewy? REALLY?!
Being an avid fan of soft and chewy cookies, I would know these are not soft and chewy. They are softer and chewier than typical gingerbread cutouts, I’ll give you that, but only a wee bit. And they’re flat as heck. I started to worry I messed up the recipe. And perhaps it’s because I refrigerated the dough for several days instead of one (stupid cold got in the way). But it was too late to fix any of that. I had to work with the dough I had. This was not only an exercise in baking cookies, but unflattening flat ones. Some quick research taught me I should:
- Lower the temp and cooking time
- Cut back on sugar (since these guys were supposed to be rolled in sugar before they hit the cookie sheet, I 86’d that step)
- Flour the baking sheet
- Keep dough in fridge between batches
So I tried all of this for round two, and it made them softer and chewier, but still flatter than I’d like. Regardless, the softer and chewier batch was an improvement, and although I probably wont make these again, they did have a great flavor if you’re someone who likes thin and somewhat crispy cookies (think Tate’s).
Ingredients
- 1/2 C (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 C packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 C granulated sugar, plus 1/4 C for rolling
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 C unsulfured molasses
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 C all purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp. ground ginger
- 1 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. coarse salt
Directions
- Put butter, brown sugar, and 1/2 c granulated sugar in bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed until smooth, about 3 minutes (this seems excessive, and could account for flatness. Mix until mixed and then be done). Mix in eggs one at a time, followed by the molasses and oil.
- Reduce speed to low; gradually mix in flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt. Cover dough with plastic wrap; refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 325 F (take down to 300 if you want softer and chewier). Put remaining 1/4 c granulated sugar in a bowl. Using a 1 3/4 inch ice cream scoop, form balls of dough. Roll balls in sugar to coat, and space 3 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Bake, rotating sheets halfway through, until cookies are flat and centers are set, about 17 minutes (take down to 15 if you want softer and chewier). Let cool completely on sheets on wire racks. Cookies can be stored between layers of parchment in airtight containers at room temperature up to 5 days.
