Molasses Spice Cookies in Vanilla Sugar

This post featuring my Molasses Spice Cookies is sponsored by Origin Vanilla.

We’re here with another fall recipe today, and this is maybe my favorite cookie recipe ever you guys. It’s such a good blend of everything warm and cozy, and these cookies are coated with my fav- Origin Vanilla Sugar!

These cookies are a combination of a molasses ginger cookie, and a chocolate chip cookie, with a few more spices thrown in to make them really feel like fall. I’m using dark chocolate for some contrast, and while the cookies are rolled in vanilla sugar, they are also sprinkled with a touch of flakey salt. Let’s get to it!

How to Make Molasses Spice Cookies

These come together similarly to most cookie recipes. We’re starting by stirring together the flour, baking soda, salt, and all the warm spices. Feel free to use whatever spices you prefer here- I like a classic combo of fall spices, similar to a gingerbread cookie. It’s a good time of year to get some great cinnamon, speaking of spices, and here’s my favorite! It’s also a good time to chop up a bar of dark chocolate into small, flakey chunks that will run throughout the cookies.

Beat together the butter and sugar until combined, and add an egg, molasses, and some vanilla extract. Stir in the dry ingredients, and then the chopped chocolate. Your dough should look something like this:

Now we’re scooping it into balls and rolling it in the sugar of your choice- mine is this pretty sparkling Vanilla Sugar from Origin Vanilla. It’s studded with vanilla bean, so there’s little flecks of vanilla running all through it. It’s a combination of sustainable cane sugar and vanilla beans. It’s important to find amazing baking ingredients that you love, and that’s why I’m working with this amazing company- I truly love all of their products, and they help give me great results!

The sugar creates crispy edges, while the center of the cookie stays chewy- I’m all about that! Sprinkle the tops with a touch of flakey salt if you’d like- it gives great balance to these cookies.

They take a quick trip to the oven, and they come out crackly, sparkly, and pretty dang great. Plus, your house will smell seriously amazing!

Tips & Tricks For Molasses Cookies

These cookies are already adapted for high-altitude and they come together pretty easily, but here’s some tips and tricks to help you out:

• Keep your ingredients at the same temp: I think this is particularly important for cookies that you want to bake up with crinkles and cracks running throughout- it helps to ensure everything blends together properly!
• Use dark chocolate: This will help balance out the sweetness of this cookie- Molasses makes for a pretty sweet cookie base!
• Choose larger-grain sugar like organic cane sugar (which is used for the Origin Vanilla Sugar I used) or even a sanding sugar. This ensures that it won’t melt into the cookies, and it gives it that crispy crust all around the cookie!
• Beat your dough fully: I think it’s very common for people to under-mix cookie dough, so be thorough, and make sure you don’t leave any dry pockets of flour at the bottom of the bowl! You want to make sure every cookie turns out great.
• Don’t over-bake, but instead keep a close eye on your cookies. They should be cracked and a little puffy when it’s time to come out, but they will settle flatter as they cool off.

I hope you guys make this one, it’s really an amazing cookie!

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Molasses Spice Cookies in Vanilla Sugar

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 3/4 cup softened butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 1/4 cup vanilla sugar (or coarse sugar)
• 1 tbs. flakey salt (optional)

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Set aside.

3. In a large bowl, beat together the softened butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in the egg, molasses, and vanilla extract until combined. Add in the flour mixture, and beat until thoroughly combined, and no dry pockets remain. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate.

4. Scoop the dough into 2-tablespoonful-sized balls, and gently roll in the vanilla sugar to coat the entire ball. Place on your prepared baking sheet with space between for the cookies to spread, and sprinkle with just a pinch of flakey salt. Repeat with the remaining dough.

5. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, or until the cookies are cracked and puffy- they will settle as they cool, so avoid over-baking to keep that chewy center. Cool and enjoy!

Dough-Eyed

Hello and welcome! My name is Nicole, and Dough-eyed is a food blog for people who want to bake for their family and friends in high-altitude areas. Think of me as a friendly voice there with you in the kitchen, here to give you confidence when you’re baking, and to help you with the struggles of baking at high-altitude. Come back every week for new recipes, tips, and advice on high-altitude baking!