Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

I love autumn. It feels like the season of change, growth and renewal even though it’s the precursor to winter where plants go dormant and wait for their chance to bloom again in the spring.

The air is crisp, the sky is blue and clear and the changing leaves dance in the wind and it’s the season that gives me hope.

But, I digress. This post is about ginger molasses cookies. Or, in this case chewy molasses spice cookies.

If the autumn season carries a brisk splash of cold, autumn spices are a warm embrace. I love the flavours of ground ginger, all spice, cinnamon and cardamom. Cloves and I don’t always get along, but there’s still a healthy respect there.

I have made ginger molasses cookies plenty of times, and if I’m honest I don’t usually keep autumn spices locked away until there is a chill in the air. I firmly believe that autumn spices can be enjoyed all year round. But, there is something about a cup of tea and a ginger molasses cookie after a long walk in the autumn air with Max.

This recipe provides a great use of spice. Replete with ground ginger, ground cloves, all spice and freshly cracked pepper these cookies make your taste buds dance. If I’m honest, I may have slipped a little cinnamon into the mix even though it’s not part of the recipe - I really can’t say no to cinnamon. I also ended up making this recipe by hand. While a mixer is great, I just didn’t feel like hauling it out. A vigorous mix with a whisk gets the melted butter and dark brown sugar to a silky smooth state. It’s not necessary to create a lot of air at the start of this recipe, so if you don’t feel like using the mixer a little elbow grease will do. The colour of the mixture lightens a bit before you can add in eggs, molasses, and vanilla.

These cookies need chill time, and then are scooped, and rolled by hand before they get coated in demerara sugar. Demerara sugar is processed less than normal white sugar and contains a slight molasses flavour. It also maintains it’s texture after baking when you use it as a coating. This gives these cookies a lovely crunch on the outside.

This recipe makes a lot of cookies, so I ended up scooping and rolling a few to try and then stored the rest in the freezer for future use. There’s nothing better than having emergency cookie dough for any spur of the moment cookie needs.

Note: If you are going to freeze this cookie dough, I wouldn’t coat them in demerara sugar until you are ready to bake. Take them out and let them rest for a bit then roll between your palms until the surface of the cookie is a bit shiny. This allows the sugar to stick, and then you’re off to the races.