Author Notes: I have my friend Christine Beck, who is, like me, a Paris part-timer, to thank for this recipe. The cookies belong to the chewy-molasses-cookie family, but th (…more) —Dorie Greenspan
Makes about 36 cookies
- 2 1/4cups (306 grams) all-purpose flour
- 2tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 to 2teaspoons instant espresso, to taste (optional)
- 1 1/2teaspoons teaspoons ground ginger
- 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 1/2sticks (12 tablespoons; 6 ounces; 170 grams) unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature
- 1/3cup (67 grams) sugar
- 1/3cup (67 grams) packed light brown sugar
- 1large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/2cup (120 ml) unsulfured molasses
- 1 1/2teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1/3cup (55 grams) chopped crystallized ginger or 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger mixed with 2 teaspoons sugar
- 7ounces (200 grams) semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped chip-size
- Sugar, for rolling
- Whisk the flour, cocoa, espresso (if using), spices, baking soda, and salt together.
- Working with a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-low speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until fully blended. Add the yolk and beat for 1 minute, then add the molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once and pulse the mixer until the risk of flying flour passes. Working on low speed, mix the dough until the flour is almost but not completely incorporated. Add the crystallized ginger (or the sugared fresh ginger) and chocolate and mix until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough and the ginger and chocolate are evenly distributed. If you’ve got bits of dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl, mix them in with a flexible spatula.
- Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
- GETTING READY TO BAKE: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350° F. Butter or spray regular muffin tins or, if making free-form cookies, line two baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.
- Have a medium cookie scoop at hand. Alternatively, you can use a rounded tablespoonful of dough for each cookie. If you’re using tins, find a jar or glass that fits into them and can be used to flatten the dough; cover the bottom in plastic wrap. Spoon some sugar into a wide shallow bowl.
- For each cookie, mold a scoop or spoonful of dough into a ball between your palms, then turn it in the sugar to coat and put in a muffin cup or on a baking sheet, leaving 2 inches between each ball of dough. If using tins, use the jar or glass to flatten each ball until it almost reaches the sides of the cup. If it’s freeform, press to flatten to about 1/2-inch thick.
- Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, rotating the tins or sheets top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be lightly set around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer the tins or sheets to racks and let the cookies rest for 15 minutes before unmolding them and/or placing them on racks to cool completely.
- If you’re baking in batches, make certain to start with cool tins or baking sheets.
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Molasses CookiesArticle Categories:
Healthy Eating