It's this time of year, when the weather grows cold and the days grow dark early, that I spend more time in the kitchen. My son and I work hand-in-hand baking breads and cookies. The oven's heat keeps are old 1890s miner's home warm on even the coldest of days, while the aroma of sweet things perfumes the air and speaks of the holidays to come.
Making Holiday Treats a Bit Better
Like most of you, I try my best to make our holiday treats and sweets a little bit better, a little bit more wholesome. We make sprouted spelt sugar cookies, sugar plums, turron de navidad and my favorite buche de noel. They're still treats, and still special, just a touch healthier and a touch more nourishing. We focus on good quality, natural ingredients: grass-fed butter, pasture-raised eggs, organic flours and whole, unrefined sweeteners like molasses, maple syrup, and honey. Their sweetness is balanced with nourishment not found in refined white sugars: primarily minerals and B vitamins.
Chewy Spiced Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground ceylon cinnamon available here
- 1 teaspoon ground cloves available here
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger available here
- ½ teaspoon finely ground real salt
- 1 stick plus 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
- ¾ cup honey
- ¼ cup organic blackstrap molasses I buy this variety
- 2 eggs beaten
- unrefined cane sugar for dusting the cookie
Instructions
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, ground ginger, and salt; set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together at medium speed the butter, honey, and molasses until light and fluffy; about 3 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing for about 30 seconds each.
- Lower the stand mixer speed to slow and incorporate the flour mixture, ½ cup at a time, until just combined. Do not overbeat.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill the dough for at least 4 hours or preferably overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 375F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the turbinado sugar into a bowl. Roll the cookie dough between your hands into 1” balls.
- Roll the balls into the turbinado sugar and place on top of the parchment lined cookie sheet, 12 cookies at a time. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Allow to cool on the baking sheet for a minute or two before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
