These delicious, spicy gingerbread cookies with molasses are the perfect last-minute Christmas treat. The cookies are thin and exceptionally crispy, boasting a lovely caramel aroma thanks to the addition of cane molasses. Preparing the dough takes just a few minutes, followed by half an hour in the fridge, and you're ready to roll it out. Simple and quick!
Just to mention, these gingerbread cookies have a fantastic shelf life – they don’t soften during storage and remain delightfully crispy for a long time. That’s what I like the most about them!
Gingerbread cookies with molasses - what exactly is molasses?
Ever curious about what molasses is? Let me shed some light on it. Molasses is a by-product of refining sugar, characterised as a thick, sticky syrup with a deep, dark brown (almost black) colour. It's rich in sucrose, making up roughly 40% of its content.
Interestingly, molasses contains nutrients that are removed from sugar during its refinement, such as B vitamins and minerals (like phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, selenium, and copper). However, it's important to remember that molasses is still high in sucrose, so moderation is key. A small addition to Christmas gingerbread cookies will impart a unique aroma, and in such small quantities, it certainly won’t do any harm.
Depending on the source of the sugar, you can find molasses made from sugar beet, sugar cane, or carob.
Molasses is readily available in health food shops or stores specialising in oriental ingredients. It’s also quite affordable, for instance, I paid 13.50 PLN for a can of Lyle's Black Treacle molasses (454 g).
If you'd like to bake more festive cookies, do try out my favourite recipes:
- Simple almond crescent cookies with vanilla
- Shortbread cookies with dark chocolate and pecans
- Quick oatmeal cookies with cranberries
Gingerbread cookies with molasses | Quick recipe
Ingredients
- 300 g flour
- 100 g butter
- 100 g sugar (fine for baking)
- 50 ml molasses
- 1 egg
- 2-3 tsp gingerbread spices
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C.
- In a large bowl, combine the soft butter, sugar, egg, spices, molasses, and vanilla extract into a smooth mixture using a hand mixer or a kitchen whisk.
- Gradually add flour to the mixture, mixing until you achieve a dough that resembles wet sand. It may be soft, but it should be able to form into a ball. Chill the prepared dough in the fridge for half an hour.
- Once chilled, divide the dough into smaller portions. Roll each portion out on a floured surface to about 2-3 mm thickness. Cut out the cookies and place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 7-10 minutes, depending on their size.
Notes
- Try to roll out the cookies thinly.
- Store any portions of the dough you're not currently using in the refrigerator.
- I recommend baking a few gingerbread cookies as a test first, to get a feel for the right baking time. They will harden a bit as they cool down.
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