Description
These molasses cookies are soft, chewy, and packed with warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, and ginger. Sweetened with molasses and sugar, they deliver a rich depth of flavor and a perfectly spiced aroma, making them an ideal treat for the holiday season or any time you crave a comforting, classic cookie.
Ingredients
Scale
Wet Ingredients
- 1½ cups vegetable shortening (276g, melted (1½ sticks))
- 2 cups granulated sugar (400g, plus more for rolling)
- ¼ cup unsulphured molasses (85g)
- 2 large eggs (100g, slightly beaten)
Dry Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour (480g)
- 4 tsp baking soda (24g)
- 1 tsp kosher salt (3g)
- 1 tsp ground cloves (3g)
- 1 tsp ground ginger (3g)
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon (6g)
Instructions
- Preheat the Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set it aside to prepare for baking.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a large bowl, beat the melted vegetable shortening, granulated sugar, and molasses together using a hand mixer for about 3 minutes until well combined and smooth.
- Add Eggs: Add the slightly beaten eggs to the mixture and continue to beat for about 2 minutes until fully blended and creamy.
- Combine Dry Ingredients: In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, baking soda, kosher salt, ground cloves, ground ginger, and ground cinnamon until evenly mixed.
- Mix Dry into Wet: Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, beating until the dough is thoroughly blended and consistent.
- Rest the Dough: Allow the cookie dough to rest for 5-10 minutes. This helps the flavors to meld and makes the dough easier to handle.
- Form Cookies: Roll the dough into balls of your preferred size. Optionally, roll these balls in additional granulated sugar for a sweet crust, though this step can be skipped if preferred.
- Arrange for Baking: Place the dough balls onto the prepared parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing them about 3 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 10-11 minutes, or until the cookies are firm around the edges but not yet completely set in the center.
- Cool: Remove the cookies from the oven and transfer them to a cooling rack. Allow them to cool completely before serving to achieve the best texture.
Notes
- Rolling the dough balls in extra sugar is optional; it creates a slightly crunchy sugar crust but the cookies are delicious without it as well.
- Ensure that the shortening is melted but not hot when mixing to avoid cooking the eggs prematurely.
- Spacing the cookies 3 inches apart is important to prevent them from merging together while baking.
- Cooling completely on a rack helps the cookies to set properly and improves texture.
- These cookies can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week, or frozen for longer storage.
