Chewy Spiced Molasses Sandwich Cookies
If you want a festive Christmas cookie, but don’t want to roll out dough or decorate cookies, these are for you. You might be surprised by the spice measurements in this recipe — no worries they are correct. Molasses is a strong flavor so the spices need to be bold to hold their own.
Orange icing brings freshness to the warmth of this cookie. American Buttercream Icing is sweet … often too sweet, but it’s quick to make. This icing has an orange punch which means you can have the orange flavor without the cookie getting too sweet.
Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies Ingredients
makes 28, 1.5 Tbl cookies (14 sandwiches)
1/2 c plus 1/3 c granulated sugar
2 1/4 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 Tbl ground cinnamon
1 Tbl ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
12 Tbl unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbl vanilla extract
1/2 c dark molasses
Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies Directions
Heat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Place 1/2 c granulated sugar in a saucer.
Whisk flour, baking soda, spices and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.
Using the paddle attachment, cream the butter — you might need to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add brown sugar and 1/3 c of granulated sugar. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy.
Reduce speed to medium low and add egg yolk and vanilla. Beat until incorporated. On medium-low speed add molasses and beat until combined. Reduce the speed to low and add the flour mixture 1/3 at a time. Beat until incorporated. Dough will be soft.
Using a 1.5 Tbl cookie scoop, make 28 balls of dough. Roll half of a ball of dough in the granulated sugar and place sugar side up on the parchment. The dough is soft so handle it gently and it’s ok if it’s not a perfect ball. Place on the parchment with 2” of space between each cookie.
Bake for 11 minutes. As soon as the cookie deflates and edges are set (inside the cracks will still look raw), remove the cookies from the oven and immediately slide the parchment with the cookies onto a cool surface (cooling rack also works) that can take heat (please not your wood table — it won’t end well). If you try to remove the cookies one by one, they will lose their shape.
Allow to cool completely.
Orange American Buttercream Ingredients
1/4 c butter
2 Tbl orange juice
1.5 c powdered sugar
1 Tbl orange zest
Orange American Buttercream Directions
Beat the butter until fluffy. Put the mixer on low and add 1 Tbl of orange juice and half of the powdered sugar. Once incorporated, add the remaining juice and sugar. Beat on medium - medium high until fluffy. Turn the beater to low and add the zest until it’s incorporated. If it’s too stiff, you can add more juice and if it’s too thin, add more sugar.
Spoon the icing into pastry (or freezer Ziploc) bag. Twist the bag top and secure with a rubber band. This will keep the icing from drying out until you’re ready to use it.
Cookie Assembly
Cut (about 1/4” you can always make the whole larger later) the tip off of the pastry bag. Twist the top of the bag more so the icing moves to the tip. Make a spiral on the underside (sugar side should be face down) of a cookie beginning on the outer edge and finishing in the center. Place another cookie on top of the icing with the sugar side up.
