It’s the week of Christmas and after 2.5 days of last-minute client requests, I’ve officially lost the will to do any writing of any kind. So instead of typing extra words, I’m just going to give you this cookie recipe without fanfare. It will fill you with Christmas spirit, even if like me, you’ve been stubbornly sweating through your holiday flannels in 80-degree weather. Bah humbug, indeed.
Molasses Crinkles
Makes 36 cookies
My mom makes these cookies for me every year, so I have never had to make them for myself until now. Mom’s recipe is a 1930s Betty Crocker hit. When I saw that it called for vegetable shortening, I had a tantrum. I’m not really a yuck-your-yum kinda gal (all food is good food!) but vegetable shortening is a substance I cannot abide. What is it? Why doesn't it taste like anything? How long will it languish in my pantry after this, collecting dust and foul odors? Luckily, the internet has plenty of versions of the original recipe that substitute butter. This one is an amalgam of the OG with a few of those I found online. The result is perfect: chewy center, crispy sugary exterior, deep molasses flavor, warming spice jazz.
Ingredients:
3/4 cup softened butter
1 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg at room temp
2 1/2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 ½ tsp ground ginger
¾ tsp ground cloves
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
Granulated sugar
Directions:
Add butter and brown sugar to a stand mixer and beat on high for 2 minutes until the mixture becomes smoother and somewhat fluffy. Add the molasses and beat until thoroughly combined. Add the egg and mix again until combined.
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Do not overmix.
Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for at least 2 hours.
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and line one or two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Scoop about a tablespoon of dough into your hands and roll between your palms until you get a globe. Toss the globe in granulated sugar to coat and place on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake for 8-10 minutes until crinkled on top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before transferring the cookies to a cooling rack.
Keep the dough chilled in between baking batches for best results.
These freeze well. Unlike most cookies, these are not at their most delicious right out of the oven. They reach peak deliciousness the day after baking and keep well in an airtight container at room temp for 4-5 days.
Currently
Currently watching: Sanditon, another PBS Masterpiece series brought to us by Andrew Davies, the creator of the 1995 Pride & Prejudice miniseries we all remember for the scintillating eroticism of this scene. Sanditon is based on Jane Austen’s unfinished novel of the same name and stars Theo James, who is, as the kids say, a real snack.
Currently drinking: This delightful red blend. Upon his first sip, Justin exclaimed, “this is what I want all red wine to taste like!”
Currently wearing: This yoga jumpsuit my best friend got me for my birthday. It’s all I wear now. I even got it in another color because I felt sad every time it was in the wash.