Ginger Molasses Cookies

This past holiday season I found myself in need of a treat to make for our neighbors, who were doing us the favor of cat-sitting while we were away in California. The only problem was that I’d already denuded my refrigerator of standard ingredients for baked goods– no butter, no eggs, and I didn’t even have much chocolate in the house! What to do?

Enter the molasses cookie. Spicy and subtly sweet, it sounded like a perfect holiday-themed treat. I found a recipe that eschewed eggs and used oil instead of butter, which also kept the cookies moist and chewy rather than cakey. (seriously, they stayed moist for over a week!) A hefty dose of ginger, both powdered and crystallized, paired with the dark molasses to keep the flavor profile interesting.

Ginger Molasses Cookies

1 3/4 cups flour

1 tbs. ground ginger

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/8 tsp. cloves

1/4 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/3 cup finely diced crystallized ginger

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/3 cup molasses

3/4 cup sugar (you can use white or brown)

3 tbs. milk

granulated sugar for rolling

1. Mix together flour, spices, baking soda, and salt. Add diced crystallized ginger.

2. In a separate bowl, combine oil, molasses, sugar, and milk.

3. Pour liquid ingredients into dry ingredients and stir to form a dough.

4. Roll tablespoons of dough– I mean it, only a tablespoon, these cookies are small but fierce!– into balls and roll in additional sugar. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet approximately 4″ apart and flatten slightly with the bottom of a glass.

5. Bake at 350 degrees F for approximately 8-10 minutes, until the cookies are firm at the edges. Cool on pan for about 5 minutes before removing to a rack to cool completely.

6. Store in an airtight container for as long as they last. These stay chewy for ages!