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Molasses Cookies From the Silver Palate

by:
February  7, 2020
4
12 Ratings
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 20 minutes
  • Cook time 10 minutes
  • Makes 24 very large flat cookies
Author Notes

The dough is also exceedingly quick to make (you could be eating one 30 minutes from now), and they bake up flat and chewy, which means they’re the perfect ice cream sandwich cookie.

Reprinted with permission from Genius Recipes by Kristen Miglore, copyright © 2015. Published by Ten Speed Press, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. Photographs copyright © 2015 by James Ransom. —Genius Recipes

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Ingredients
  • 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks/170g) sweet butter
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) molasses
  • 1 egg
  • 1 3/4 cups (220g) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
  2. Melt butter, add sugar and molasses, and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture; blend well.
  3. Sift flour with spices, salt, and baking soda, and add to first mixture; mix. Batter will be wet.
  4. Lay a sheet of foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on foil, leaving 3 inches (7.5cm) between the cookies. These will spread during the baking.
  5. Bake until cookies start to darken, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven while still soft. Let cool on foil.
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Recipe by: Genius Recipes

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19 Reviews

Write a Review
Laura March 23, 2024
Just what I was craving! Fast, spicy, and chewy! Truly a genius recipe!
Julia December 13, 2023
I have been making these cookies for over 30 years! They are amazing! Now I live in another country (and didn't bring my cookbooks!), I rely on Food 52 for my "standards". This is one. Notes: 1. I always double this recipe to start.
2. Use HEAPING measurements on the spices-
3. Caña de Miel = Molasses in Spanish speaking countries
Enjoy!
celiaruthless June 9, 2022
I've been making these cookies for over 20 years and they're super easy and are a crowd favorite every time. My personal suggestions: (1) add golden raisins and/or chopped candied ginger, and (2) don't bother dropping them out as cookies, just dump into a half-sheet pan, smooth out, bake, and cut into bars.
Bernadette E. November 24, 2022
How long do they usually take? I tried them but since the batter is so moist it’s hard to tell when it’s done. I usually make these individually but I LOVE this idea.
Julia December 13, 2023
Baking them flat- wouldn't that be Hermits? Those are great!
peggyg November 20, 2021
These are so very similar to the "Molasses Crinkles" from "Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook" from the 1950's - 1959? I have been making these forever. The butter (salted), egg, molasses amounts the same - sugar is brown sugar. 1 tsp ginger, the other spices the same, 1/4 tsp salt (maybe because of the salted butter). the biggest difference is 2 1/4 cups flour for the originals (instead of 1 3/4) and the butter is not melted - it's creamed with the brown sugar. I scoop with a small scoop to make 4 dozen. they say to roll balls the size of large walnuts - what size is that? I make them whatever size it takes to get 4 dozen which is what they say the yield should be. Then roll them in granulated sugar.
These bake at 375 for 10 -12 minutes. I made this dough and kept it in the frig for 3 days - I just baked them today and they turned out super flat, but perfectly chewy - you (well, I) cannot stop eating them - they are so delicious. I think they are "puffier" if baked after a brief chill - not 3 days. But they are super good and I make them every year for autumn.
I would try this recipe with the similar ingredients, but I love the Betty Crocker recipe so much that i hesitate to change it.
shamika March 16, 2021
My cookies came out super FLAT, not at all like the photo. The recipe calls for melted butter but I wonder if you are supposed to refrigerate the dough or not completely melt the butter? I followed the recipe exactly. Tasted great, just wished they weren't so thin and flat.
celiaruthless June 9, 2022
These totally spread everywhere: my approach has been to just use the batter to make bars :-)
Taylor S. December 24, 2020
I was excited for these but unfortunately mine did not come out well - spread too much and the texture just wasn't my favorite :( They tasted amazing however, buttery and spicy
bhilz November 8, 2020
I loved this recipe! I couldn’t find my ground ginger so I added finely chopped crystallized ginger instead and it was a huge hit!
celiaruthless October 22, 2020
Been making this recipe since the 90s. I usually add golden raisins and bake in a 10x15" sheet pan to make bar cookies. Always a huge, huge hit.
Emilie April 12, 2020
Have made these cookies twice now and loved both times. Have even had a few people tell me they liked them more than chocolate chip cookies!
MBE March 21, 2020
Excellent! I'm not even a big fan of molasses or soft cookies but these are addictive! Can't wait until I can turn them into ice cream sandwiches!
James F. February 19, 2020
Mine came out BLACK and flat. They tasted great, but even as raw dough, they were almost black. I was using backstrap molasses. Is there a different type I should be using? Also, should the butter mixture cool before adding the egg?
Mh March 23, 2020
Your issue was definitely due to using blackstrap molasses. If you try again, use regular molasses (not blackstrap).
gandalf April 18, 2020
Regular molasses is also known as unsulphured molasses.

When I made these cookies this morning, I added the beaten egg to the melted butter, sugar, and molasses mixture right away; it turned out fine.

I also used 1/2 tsp. of cardamom instead of the cinnamon, which I didn't have; the cookies turned out well, I thought.
Fatma Y. February 11, 2020
Is sweet butter just unsalted butter, or is it actually sweetened?
Emily February 14, 2020
Just means unsalted.
lizb February 8, 2020
I just want to say how pleased I am to see this recipe on the site! It is genius. And while I love these just as they are, they do make an absolutely perfect ice cream sandwich. I bake them in a muffin tin to make then all exactly the same size and they are always a big surprise and a big hit at a dinner party. I love, love, love these cookies!