Name: Molasses Crinkles
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 48
Ingredients: 150 g of Vegetable Shortening; 200 g of Brown Sugar; 1 Egg; 60 ml of Molasses; 280 g of All Purpose Flour; 2 teaspoons of Baking Soda; 1 teaspoon of Cinnamon; 1 teaspoon of Ginger; Mezza teaspoon of Cloves; 1/4 teaspoon of Salt; 50 g of Sugar; Water

Molasses crinkles are a classic of American Christmas baking: soft, chewy cookies made with molasses, brown sugar and warm spices such as ginger, cinnamon and cloves. Each ball of dough is rolled in granulated sugar, and as it spreads in the oven the surface breaks into the sugary cracks that give the cookie its name.

The recipe spread through American kitchens with the family cookbooks of the 1950s and 1960s, Betty Crocker’s above all, and it is just as familiar in Canada, where molasses has long been a pantry staple, especially in the Atlantic provinces.

They are baked by the dozen in December for cookie tins, cookie swaps and the plate left out for Santa, and they stay soft for days.

Ingredients for about 48 cookies

150 g of Vegetable Shortening (3/4 cup)

200 g of Brown Sugar packed (1 cup)

1 Egg large

60 ml of Molasses mild or full-flavor (1/4 cup)

280 g of All Purpose Flour (2 1/4 cups)

2 teaspoons of Baking Soda

1 teaspoon of Cinnamon ground

1 teaspoon of Ginger ground

1/2 teaspoon of Cloves ground

1/4 teaspoon of Salt

For rolling:

50 g of Sugar granulated

Water a few drops

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Method

In a large bowl, beat the shortening and the brown sugar with an electric mixer for about 2 minutes, until light and creamy. Add the egg and the molasses and beat until smooth.

In another bowl, whisk together the flour, the baking soda, the cinnamon, the ginger, the cloves and the salt. Add them to the molasses mixture and mix on low speed just until you have a soft, even dough. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until the dough is firm enough to roll.

Preheat the oven to 190 °C (375 °F) and lightly grease two baking sheets or line them with baking parchment. Put the granulated sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll the dough into balls about 3 cm (1 1/4 inch) across and roll each one in the sugar until coated.

Set the balls on the sheets about 7 cm (3 inches) apart, because they spread. Dip your fingertips in water and let 2 or 3 drops fall on top of each ball: this helps the surface crack.

Bake one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies have spread and crackled and the edges are set, while the centers are still soft. Leave them on the sheet for 2 minutes, then move them to a wire rack to cool. Shape and bake the rest of the dough in the same way. Finally, remember to download our App with exclusive content and fewer ads!

Variations and Alternatives

Replace the shortening with the same weight of softened butter, as many Canadian family recipes do: the cookies spread a little more and taste richer. For a spicier cookie, use up to 2 teaspoons of ginger and of cinnamon. Rolled in powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, they become snowy crinkles.

Tips

Use regular unsulfured molasses, mild or full-flavor: blackstrap molasses is bitter and would cover the spices. The dough is soft, so chill it for at least 2 hours before shaping, and keep the part you are not using in the fridge between batches. The few drops of water on each ball are the old trick for deep cracks. For chewy cookies, take them out when the edges are set and the centers still look slightly underbaked.

Storage

Keep the cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 1 week; a slice of bread in the tin keeps them soft. Baked cookies freeze for up to 3 months. Balls of dough, without the sugar, can be frozen in a bag and baked from frozen: roll them in sugar just before baking and add 1 to 2 minutes.

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Molasses Crinkles