On Molasses Spice Cookies + Sisters
Erica Lea on Nov 17th 2010
Cooking can be solitary or shared. When the kitchen is cleared of clutter and people, you are free to create as you wish. It is very calming. However, throw two very different people into a kitchen and ask them to make a meal together and you have a potential disaster on your hands.
But if you never cook with someone you love and trust, you lose so much. Working and producing with your best friend is very rewarding and really brings out your character.
My favorite people to cook with? My sisters.
No strings attached. Just a common goal: creating something delicious.
These cookies were made by my sister and I for a party. As I rolled the balls of dough in sugar, I realized how easy it is for me to work with her. How blessed I am to be able to work with my sister without going crazy!
But lets talk cookies. These big, soft cookies have a wonderful level of spice and sweetness. Perfect with a tall glass of cold (whole) milk.
Notes: I made these cookies slightly more healthy by adding a bit of whole wheat flour. Another time I would like to experiment by using natural sweeteners & rolling the dough in demerara. Also, I used my homemade lard in place of shortening. Yes. I detest trans fats.
Molasses Spice Cookies
Adapted from The KAF Baker’s Companion
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- 1/2 cup lard
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup unsulfured molasses
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups (8 ounces) whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cloves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- Extra sugar, for coating cookies
Directions:
1) In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter, shortening, and sugar. Beat in the molasses and eggs.
2) In a medium bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture and blend until smooth. Place in the refrigerator for about 1 hour (it took less time for us) or until the dough is easy to handle.
3) Preheat oven to 350° F. Lightly grease or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
4) Fill a small, shallow bowl with sugar. Roll the dough into golf ball sized balls. Roll in sugar and place on prepared cookie sheet 2 inches apart.
50 Bake in preheated oven for about 13 minutes. Do not overcook. They will still be soft and only slightly darker. Remove to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.
Makes approximately forty cookies (we got much less).
Filed in Baking, Cookies, Reuben Approved
STUNNING pictures. By the way, I thought shortening (at least Crisco) was trasn-fat free… is it not?
Crisco shortening is made by hydrogenating oils. The new formulas contain less trans fat, but the process is still unnatural. You’re better off using natural lard or palm oil.
Sweet post
You should write a post about how you make your homemade lard! I’d be very interested! I know Lisa @ Homesick Texan has done a post about it, but I’d be curious to know your methods too.
Also, I love your new photo
Thank you very much! I actually followed Lisa’s directions for making lard. It was so easy.
I make molasses cookies a lot…and they never fail to remind me of my Mom and sister…I just encourage you to enjoy every minute with your family…since getting married and moving “away from home”, I realize how precious those years were…and how much I miss my family! Beautiful pictures, as always…
love,
Cathy b. @ brightbakes
Beautiful. They look delicious.
These look really good. You take great pictures. I have never had molasses cookies I will definitely give them a try. You should share these over at http://www.dishfolio.com the would be a great addition.
these are beautiful! They look a lot like my Better Homes & Gardens Ginger cookie recipe, that i love! How do you make all of your cookies so perfect and uniform? do you have a cookie scoop you recommend? I’ve been meaning to get one!
You’re lucky to have a sister to share so many things with, I only have three brothes and I love them very much but I always kind of feel like something was missing in my relationship with them. Then I realize that thing missing was that they are no women!hehe. Love the cookies, they look awesome. Best wishes from Spain!
Tori:We just rolled them into balls with our hands. The dough was so easy to work with!
Begoña: I do feel so blessed to have sisters. But I have wished for an older brother to do outside chores!
Oh my! These look PERFECT! I can’t wait to try em out - great for Christmas!
Lovin’ your blog!
Mary xo
Delightful Bitefuls
They look absolutely wonderful! I have to say that your photos are fabulous too. Very professional. Any tips?
Love, Anne x
Homeschool on the Croft: Thank you very much! Here are some tips I’ve found useful.
1) Turn off your flash Unless you have the money to set yourself up with professional lighting, it’s a good idea to stick with natural light. On-camera flash is very harsh and unflattering. To learn more, I highly recommend the book Professional Secrets of Natural Light Portrait Photography. I was able to order it from our library.
2) Be aware of your angle. It’s very tempting to just stay put and shoot away. Move around. Experiment with different angles. The perfect shot could be just a few feet (or even inches) away.
3) Employ the rule of thirds. It seems natural to center your subject in the middle of the frame. This is not the most dynamic framing, however. Try off-centering your subject. For portraits, it’s a good idea to place your subject’s eyes 1/3 of the way down the frame. To learn more about the rule of thirds, read this article
There are many great articles on the web for beginning photographers:
Wikipedia’s Article on Photography
The Pioneer Woman - some great articles on composition, exposure, and editing. She uses some crude humor, but her articles are very informative.
VeganYumYum has a very good article on food photography that also applies to other forms of photography.
Hope that inspires you!
Erica Lea
love the thickness of these cookies! they look delicious!
These are always my favorite in Christmas season dipped in strong coffee.
the cookies look great - I do love Christmas baking. I took a picture of my grand daughters wearing a headband and large flower - I am trying to get good enough to take their pictures, with their eyes OPEN! Anyway, I purchased a few headbands/flowers/bows from an on-line store, polkadotposies, and wanted my 2 grand daughters dressed in similar clothing, with my grand son in jeans and sweater. The colors are so bright and pretty, I almost think the colors are too bright. Any suggestions? I don’t want the picture to be so busy you don’t notice the children.
These cookies look amazing! I love anything spiced with cinnamon and cloves. I just love your style of photography…
These looks like delish Christmas cookies that would melt in your mouth
Oh, we truly think alike in the kitchen. Molasses cookies are on my to-bake list. These look perfect!
dgrandmother: That sounds very pretty! I would suggest taking a few pictures with and without the headbands/flowers and see which you like better!
Beautiful photographs! The looks sound fabulous.
Thanks for sharing this classic treat! I love baking with my husband.
i love molasses cookies. these have great crinkly.
Oh yes, I agree, cooking with sisters is so great. Your post made me wish one of my sisters lived close enough to whip up these cookies together. They look delicious!
[...] Molasses Spice Cookies [...]
mmm i always love me some molasses!!!
[...] los gustos el banquete incluyó: Blueberry Pancakes con Maple Syrup, Huevos Revueltos con Chorizo, Galletas de Molazas y mis Arepita Bites (recipe below). De verdad inténtelo, no se van a [...]