It's almost February… are we ready for cookies again yet?
Any time I bake ginger-molasses crinkles, they are received with claims that “these are my favourite cookie ever” – perhaps people forget about chocolate chip when faced with warm, chewy, slightly spiced cookies that are addictive with a glass of cold milk. They're also fantastic sandwiched with cream cheese frosting, if you're looking for something a little more special.
I made these with my son's class when he was in grade 1 – the recipe was simple enough for them to read and follow, and kids love rolling the dough into balls and then rolling them into sugar to coat. Since ginger-molasses crinkles are so well received, we may bake batches for Valentine's Day next month – stack a few and tie with ribbon for a delicious gift, whatever the occasion.
Ginger Molasses Crinkles
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 Tbsp. canola oil
1/3 cup dark molasses
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking soda
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. salt
extra sugar, for rolling
Preheat oven to 350°F.
In a large bowl, combine the oil, butter, molasses, brown sugar, egg and vanilla. Stir until well blended and smooth.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt; add to the molasses mixture and stir by hand just until you have a soft dough.
Roll dough into 1″–1 1/2″ balls and roll the balls in sugar to coat. Place about 2″ apart on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with nonstick spray.
Bake for 12–14 minutes, until just set around the edges. Transfer to a wire rack to cool or serve warm. Store extras in an airtight container or freeze. Makes 2 dozen cookies.
