Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

Gluten-free

These are my sister’s favorite cookie.  When we were teenagers, we did what teenagers did in the early 2000s and became obsessed with this new coffee chain called Starbucks. 

Whenever we went, I always got a mocha and cinnamon roll that was the size of my head. My sister always got a mocha and molasses cookie (also the size of her head). 

It’s just one of those little memories that will flash through my minds eye every time I see a molasses cookie. I wanted to recreate that cookie in her honor, but a little less sweet. 

I added a couple ingredients to try to keep the cookie moist, soft and slightly chewy: almond flour and nonfat dry milk powder. I put milk powder in almost every cookie I can. It just does something to the dough that makes it just a little bit richer. If you don’t have some in your pantry, I recommend getting some to have on hand.  

The almond flour helps with the moisture of this cookie. When I was testing, I kept getting frustrated but the dryness I got around the edges. I wanted a moist cookie through and through. Almond flour also gives a bit of a softer crumb. 

Ok, let’s make some cookies. 

Recipe 

1 1/4 cups gluten-free measure-for-measure flour

1/4 cup almond flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground allspice

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)

1 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 tbsp neutral oil (safflower, canola or avocado)

2/3 cup light brown sugar

1/3 cup + 1tbsp molasses (not blackstrap)

1 large egg

1/2 cup Demerara sugar for rolling (if you don’t have that you can use cane sugar)

Preheat oven to 375 and line two baking sheet with parchment. Place the Demerara sugar in a shallow bowl.

In medium bowl, whisk together the flours, baking soda, salt, nonfat milk powder and spices. Set aside. 

In the bowl of a stand mixer, add the sugar, molasses, butter and oil. Beat on medium high for 3 minutes, until the molasses is full incorporated and the mixture looks a bit fluffier. Add the egg and beat again until the egg is full incorporated. 

Using a rubber spatula, fold the flour mixture into the molasses mixture until all the flour is full incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky. If it looks too soft to roll, throw it in the fridge for 15-30 minutes. It wont be a firm dough; we want it soft. 

Dampen your hands with a wet paper towel and then grab 2 tbsp globs of dough, roll into a ball between your hands before rolling in the Demerara sugar. 

Place sugared dough balls on the baking sheet, leave 2 niches between each. 

Bake for 10 minutes. When you take them out of the oven, give the baking dish a good thwack on the counter to deflate the cookies. 

Let cool for 15 minutes. These lovelies will last a week in an airtight container (if you don’t eat them all before then).