Cinnamon and Molasses Cookies for Santa

We’ve been hit by some serious technical bugaboos over the last week and are just starting to recovery here at Nourished Kitchen, so for all of you who’ve visited the site in the last few days, noticed odd posts in your feed readers, please excuse the mess as the dust settles – we’ll be back at it in no time.  Despite the exhausting effort I’ve put into cleaning up the site, we’ve still managed to prepare for the upcoming holiday: a charming, locally grown  yuletide tree decorate by salt-dough stars, candy canes and garland studded with popcorn and fresh cranberries.  A handmade holiday, and it’s been a pleasure.

Tomorrow afternoon, in anticipation of Santa’s arrival, the scent of freshly baked cinnamon molasses cookies will fill our tiny home.  Unlike many molasses cookies, these are seasoned only by ground cinnamon – a spice that’s rich in fiber and manganese.  Moreover, they incorporate sprouted grain flour which, unlike whole wheat flour, needn’t be soaked prior to baking.  The dough is easy for small hands to manipulate and roll while the topping for the cookies is as pleasantly salty as it is sweet.

So if Santa’s coming to your home, do the old man a favor and prepare him a nourishing, wholesome treat.

Cinnamon Molasses Cookies

Pleasantly sweet and slightly salty, these cinnamon molasses cookies are perfect served alongside warm milk, hot cider or even mulled wine.

Ingredients for Cinnamon Molasses Cookies

• 1 cup (2 sticks) grass-fed butter, softened (see sources)
• 1 cup whole, unrefined cane sugar
• ½ cup blackstrap molasses
• 2 pastured eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 cups sprouted grain flour (see sources)
• ½ teaspoon unrefined sea salt
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Ingredients for the Topping

• 2 tablespoons whole, unrefined cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

Method for Preparing Cinnamon Molasses Cookies

1. Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add the molasses and vanilla extract to the butter and sugar mixture, beat until well-combined.
3. Stir in the beaten eggs until thoroughly mixed with the molasses, butter and sugar.
4. In a separate bowl, mix sprouted flour, unrefined sea salt, baking soda and cinnamon together.
5. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients, and mix until thoroughly blended.
6. Refrigerate dough for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
7. Preheat the oven to 350º F.
8. While the oven is preheating, prepare the topping by stirring together 2 tablespoons unrefined cane sugar, 1 tablespoon unrefined sea salt and 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon.
9. Form two tablespoons of cookie dough into a ball and roll the balls in the cinnamon, sugar and salt topping.
10. Place balls of dough on a preheated baking stone, press down with the tines of a fork to ensure even spreading.
11. Bake cookies in an oven preheated to 350º F for approximately 6 to 8 minutes.

YIELD: Approximately 36 cookies.

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