Molasses Cookies

At a holiday get-together with some close friends this year, I made these molasses cookies. I found the recipe in the Food section of the L.A. Times earlier this year. It was the first time I made a recipe from the newspaper! And, to tell you the truth, I didn't have very high expectations when I first made it. But, I was pleasantly surprised with the results for they were the chewiest and moistest home-made cookies I've ever had!

The cookie is a little spicy, gingerbread like, with a hint of sweetness. It's the perfect cookie to make this time of year! It's such a simple recipe, too. I really enjoy making it since there is very little clean up in the end. The recipe calls for melted butter, so there is no need to use a mixer nor muscle power to get the butter creamed as called for in other recipes. I end up mixing everything in the pot I melt the butter in, so if you try it out, make sure you use a large enough pot! The original recipe calls for 1/2 tsp ground cloves; however, I don't have that available so I substituted 1/2 tsp nutmeg for it. I like how they turned out so I'm sticking with the nutmeg! The cookies have always come out moist and chewy and stays that way for at least a week (if it lasts that long!).

Molasses Cookies

3/4 C. Unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 C. Sugar
1/4 C. Molasses
1 Egg
1 3/4 C. Flour
1/2 tsp. Ground Nutmeg
1/2 tsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1) Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Remove from the heat, add the sugar and mix until fully incorporated. Then, add the molasses and mix until fully incorporated. In a small bowl, lightly beat the egg and add to the melted butter mixture; blend well.

3) Sift the flour with the nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, salt and baking soda and mix into the melted butter mixture. The batter will be wet.

4) Lay a sheet of parchment paper or aluminum foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on the sheet, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. These will spread during baking.

5) Bake until the cookies start to darken, about 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven while they are still soft. Let cool on the cookie sheet. Store in an air-tight container.

Total time: About 40 minutes
Servings: Makes 48 cookies
Note: Adapted from LA Times (which was adapted from "The Silver Palate Cookbook."