So, I bought a big bottle of molasses at the store, and LordHelpMe if I don’t use it all up by Springtime. I’m the laziest of bakers. I don’t wipe away the excess molasses that drips after pouring. So, after a few recipes, the jar is sticky and leaving a black ring on any surface it touches. (I’m so making my Mom cringe right now. She just may drive up from Texas and clean my pantry for me). I really shouldn’t mention that my maple syrup jug is so crusty from drips that the lid doesn’t close anymore. We could talk about my honey pot, but I won’t go there. My Mom is sweating enough already. Have you ever seen that Friends episode where Monica wants to clean the house of a messy girl that Ross is dating? That’s basically the way my Mom feels every time she enters my house. So now that you basically think I’m a slob (I’m totally not, I swear), let’s talk about molasses cookies. They’re chewy, spicy, and crinkly and crispy all at once. I really wanted to call these cookies ‘The Best Christmas Cookie.’ Or, ‘It’s not the holidays without this cookie.’ But, chewy molasses cookies is what I settled on. Just so you can find it if you’re googling later. These cookies are picture-perfect. The dough comes together like a dream, and after a quick chill and rolling, what comes out of your oven is 12 perfectly puffy, crackled cookies. They look like a bakery mass-produced them in perfect little spheres. And the sparkles? It looks like a holiday fairy came down and shimmied her little butt on top.
For maximum sparkle, I used raw sugar crystals. You probably know it by the brand name ‘Sugar in the Raw.’ It’s the stuff in the brown box and little brown paper sachets. And while this isn’t a paid endorsement, I can say that this is my new favorite way to make cookies sparkle. I used to buy sanding sugar in the cookie decorating aisle, but I discovered that Sugar in The Raw has larger crystals, which equals more shine. And I’m all about the shine.
They taste like Christmas spice and everything nice.
Just don’t use blackstrap molasses. That stuff will ruin your day, I tell ya.
Since these cookies only use an egg yolk, check out my ways to use leftover egg whites.
