Soft Molasses Cookies

These Soft Molasses Cookies are so-o-o delicious and chewy, with bold flavor from cinnamon, ginger, and other warm spices. I find it hard to resist them, so on baking day I like to invite friends over to share the cookie joy. They are particularly yummy with a cup of Good Earth’s “Sweet & Spicy Herbal Tea.”
[Note that the dough must be chilled for 1-2 hours before baking, so keep that in mind.]

Recipe

Ingredients

¾ cup (154g) vegetable shortening

1 cup (220g) packed brown sugar

1 extra large egg (60g out of shell)

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

½ cup (165g) molasses

2½ cups (355g) all-purpose flour

¾ teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking soda

¼ teaspoon cream of tartar

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon allspice

1 teaspoon nutmeg

For rolling

½ cup (100g) granulated sugar (for coating raw dough balls)

Yield: about 4 dozen

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Bake Time: 8-9 minutes

Total Time: 18-19 minutes

Type of Recipe:
Drop Cookies

Instructions

Whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, salt, soda, spices) and set aside.
In stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together shortening and brown sugar at medium-high speed for 1-3 minutes. (See Recipe Notes below.)
Stir in the egg, vanilla and molasses and mix well.
Fold in dry ingredients and stir until fully combined.
Cover and chill until firm (1-2 hours).
When you’re ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover the baking sheets with parchment paper. (See Recipe Notes below.)
Roll dough into small balls using a small (1½-inch) cookie scoop or a tablespoon and then roll in granulated sugar.
Place about 2 inches apart on the prepared cookie sheets. Do not flatten the balls. They’ll flatten into perfectly round cookies as they bake.
Bake at 350°F for 8-10 minutes. They’ll be puffed up with crackly tops and the inside of the cracks will look shiny and moist. Do not overbake or they’ll be like rocks.
As soon as you remove the cookies from the oven, sprinkle each with a bit of granulated sugar. Leave the cookies on the baking sheet about one minute, until set, then remove them to a cooling rack. Cookies will flatten as they cool.
Store in an airtight container at room temperature. They should stay fresh for about a week, but I’ve never had them around that long!

Recipe Notes

Make sure all your ingredients are at room temperature, unless otherwise specified in the recipe.
In most cases, I weigh my ingredients instead of using measuring cups. I find that I can achieve a predictable outcome every time when I measure the ingredients by weight as opposed to volume. A good food scale is one of my most valued baking tools!
I prefer Grandma’s Molasses (unsulphured) because of its flavor. (I don’t have any relationship with the company; I just prefer this brand.)
The longer you cream the shortening and brown sugar, the more air in the cookies, hence the flatter they’ll be as they cool.
I don’t recommend using Silpat baking mats for this recipe. The cookies don’t spread and flatten enough on baking mats. Plus, the spices tend to “linger” on the Silpat mats and you have to wash them with baking soda to get out the odor.
If you bake the cookies too long, they will be browner, crisper and not chewy. You may want this if you plan to use the cookies as a crumble on top of a pumpkin pie or other dessert.