Double Ginger Molasses Cookies

These Double Ginger Molasses Cookies are a delicious way to kick off the fall season or for a holiday cookie exchange!

In our house, fall isn’t the start of football season. It’s the kick-off to baking season! My family loves when the weather starts to turn cool because I get the itch to bake. From eclairs to cakes to breads, I always have a baking surprise up my  sleeve! I enjoy baking and gifting treats to others, as well. During the holidays, I typically make cookies to send to neighbors and other friends. This Double Ginger Molasses Cookie recipe from Dorie Greenspan is our new favorite. My family has been “taste testing” them to see if they are good enough to give as treats this year. From the sneaky, chocolate-y grins on the kids’ faces, I may have to do all my holiday baking this year after they go to bed. Otherwise, the cookies may never make it into the treat boxes!

These Double Ginger Molasses Cookies have a unique softness to them. The flavor is warm and reminds me of a fall morning spent under a blanket with a book in hand. Take this recipe to your cookie exchange party, and you’ll be the hit of the gathering!

Double-Ginger Molasses Cookies

Recipe from Dorie’s Cookies by Dorie Greenspan

Shared with permission from OXO Cookies for kids’ cancer campaign

Makes about 36 cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1-2 teaspoons instant espresso, to taste (optional)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into chunks, at room temperature

Recipe

Whisk the flour, cocoa, espresso (if using), spices, baking soda and salt together. Working with the OXO Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer, beat the butter and both sugars together on medium-low speed for about 3 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed, until fully blended. The OXO Illuminating Digital Hand Mixer is excellent for mixing, especially at night time. The mixer headlight stays on for as long as you are mixing the batter, allowing you to reach the perfect batter consistency.

Add the yolk and beat for 1 minute, then add the molasses and vanilla, beating until smooth. Turn off the mixer, add the dry ingredients all at once and pulse the mixer until the risk of flying flour passes. Working on low speed, mix the dough until the flour is almost but not completely incorporated. Add the crystallized ginger (or the sugared fresh ginger) and chocolate and mix until the dry ingredients disappear into the dough and the ginger and chocolate are evenly distributed. If you’ve got bits of dry ingredients on the bottom of the bowl, mix them in with a spatula.

Gather the dough into a ball, flatten it and wrap it in plastic. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The dough can be refrigerated for up to 3 days if needed. 

Getting ready to bake: Position the racks to divide the oven into thirds and preheat it to 350 degrees F. Butter or spray a 12 Cup Muffin Pan. 

Have a Cookie Scoop at hand. Alternatively, you can use a rounded tablespoonful of dough for each cookie. If you’re using tins, find a jar or glass that fits into them and can be used to flatten the dough; cover the bottom in plastic wrap. Spoon some sugar into a wide shallow bowl.

For each cookie, mold a scoop or spoonful of dough into a ball between your palms, then turn it in the sugar to coat and put in a muffin cup. If using tins, use the jar or glass to flatten each ball until it almost reaches the sides of the cup. 

This was my first time ever making cookies in a muffin pan. I liked the technique so much that I will probably use it each time now! This method led to perfect consistency cookies.

Bake the cookies for about 13 minutes, rotating the tins or sheets top to bottom and front to back after 7 minutes. The cookies should be lightly set around the edges and softer in the center. Transfer the tins or sheets to racks and let the cookies rest for 15 minutes before unmolding them and/or placing them on racks to cool completely.

If you’re baking in batches, make certain to start with cool tins or baking sheets.

Once baked, store the cookies in an airtight container for up to four days. Although, I seriously doubt if they will hang around that long!

Also, check out these Peppermint Glazed Sugar Cookies!