Chewy Molasses Cookies: Not flashy, just delicious

Not much to look at compared to its flashy holiday brethren, but a Chewy Molasses Cookie pliant and spice-scented and kind of perfect. (Sarah E. Crowder via AP)
Not much to look at compared to its flashy holiday brethren, but a Chewy Molasses Cookie pliant and spice-scented and kind of perfect. (Sarah E. Crowder via AP)
photo Not much to look at compared to its flashy holiday brethren, but a Chewy Molasses Cookie pliant and spice-scented and kind of perfect. (Sarah E. Crowder via AP)
photo Though not much to look at compared to its flashy holiday brethren, a Chewy Molasses Cookie is pliant, spice-scented and kind of perfect.

Holidays equal platters and tins of festive-looking cookies. Cookies with colored icing, cookies with sprinkles, cookies with fillings, cookies with layers.

An artistic cookie display is a thing of beauty, but let's reach past it to grab a flat, modest, quiet molasses cookie. Not much to look at compared to its flashy holiday brethren, but pliant and spice-scented and kind of perfect.

Because the butter is melted in this recipe, you can just as easily mix them up with a spoon or a rubber spatula as an electric mixer. And also go for dark brown sugar, which contains more molasses.

Don't overbake these cookies - unless you want crispy molasses cookies - then go right ahead and add another couple of minutes.

They will keep for three or four days in an airtight container. And they are good contenders for shipping; separate layers with wax or parchment paper, place additional crumbled paper in the bottom and top of the container to fill it, and make sure the container is well-padded before putting it in a box and sending it off to a lucky recipient.

Chewy Molasses Cookies

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

1/4 cup granulated sugar, plus another 1/2 cup for rolling

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup molasses

1 large egg

In a medium-size bowl, combine the flour, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, cloves and salt.

In another large bowl, combine the butter, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar and molasses. Beat in the egg. Beat in the dry ingredients; the dough should be fairly stiff. Refrigerate the dough for about 2 hours.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Scoop the dough up by heaping tablespoons and roll them into balls. Roll the balls in the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet (about 12 cookies per baking sheet). Using the bottom of a glass, flatten the cookies to about 1/4-inch thick, 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Bake for 7 or 8 minutes just until set. Remove the cookies from the baking sheet and cool on a wire rack. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Makes 24 cookies. Start to finish: 2 hours, including 2 hours refrigeration time.

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