Sunday Messy cookies

Sunday!

We didn’t do much today. Kurt went to help a friend for a few hours, and we considered heading to Virginia, but Addi had a long nap and woke up grumpy. Before her nap, though, we finally made the cookies I wanted to bake yesterday—kind of. Turns out, we don’t own ground ginger, so we improvised and ended up with what I’m calling Spiced Molasses Cookies. They’re not gingerbread, but they’re still delicious.

Word of warning—and I cannot stress this enough—do not involve your toddler in any recipe that calls for molasses. It’s a sticky disaster waiting to happen! Addi managed to get molasses on the floor, the counter, her hand, her face, and even on me while pouring it into the mixer. She had fun, but after that third step (molasses and egg), I whisked her out of the kitchen, cleaned her up, and finished the recipe solo.

Then came the rolling-out stage. I got about three cookies rolled and shaped fine before the dough started sticking to my floured counter. At that point, I gave up and just made balls instead. All in all, they turned out pretty tasty! While they were baking, I made Addi some lunch and put her down for her nap.

Here’s the recipe for Spiced Molasses Cookies:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

1/4 tsp cardamom (optional, for a unique flavor twist)

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Cream the butter and brown sugar until smooth, then mix in the molasses and egg until well combined. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture, stirring until a dough forms. If the dough feels sticky, chill it in the fridge for 30 minutes (my batch spent close to an hour in our fridge) Roll the dough out on a floured surface to about 1/4 inch thick and cut out shapes, or just roll it into balls if you prefer. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until the edges are set.

They might not have ginger, but they were still tasty, perfect for a cold day!