Correct us if we're wrong, but we feel like the holiday season is never complete without a batch or two of ginger molasses cookies.
Few cookies perfectly embody the coziness of this time of year, but if friends and family have dairy, egg or gluten restrictions within their diets, sometimes your loved ones have to miss out.
Ed Tatton of BReD in Whistler is making sure everyone can enjoy this iconic holiday cookie with this vegan and gluten-free recipe from his recently-released cookbook, BReD: Sourdough Loaves, Small Breads, and Other Plant-Based Baking.
"Warming, sweet, crunchy, chewy, and moreish, these cookies are a favourite of ours when the weather starts to turn in the autumn. I think it’s the delicious complex flavour that comes from the molasses—a syrup derived from brown sugar that is used in making rum," writes Tatton in the introduction to this recipe in BReD.
Ginger molasses cookies
340g (1½ cups + 1 tablespoon) cold vegan butter
250g (1¼ cups loosely packed) brown sugar
150g (½ cup) blackstrap molasses
125g (½ cup) pure maple syrup
20g (1½ tablespoons) pure vanilla extract
585g (4¼ cups) all-purpose flour
20g (1 tablespoon) baking soda
25g (5 tablespoons) ground ginger
15g (2 tablespoons) ground cinnamon
7g (3 teaspoons) ground nutmeg
5g (1 teaspoon) fine sea salt
100g (½ cup) raw cane sugar, for rolling
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle, cream together the butter and brown sugar on medium speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the molasses, maple syrup, and vanilla and beat on medium-low speed until fully combined. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to ensure thorough mixing.
In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk to combine.
Add half of the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix on low speed to combine. Add the remaining dry ingredients and mix on low speed until fully incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed to fully mix all the ingredients. Cover the bowl and chill in the fridge for 1 hour. This will firm up the dough and make weighing and shaping easier and less messy.
Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone baking mats. Have a small bowl of water ready. Divide the dough evenly into 14 balls (about 110g/3.9 oz each). Roll each ball in your palms to achieve a smooth finish, using a little water on your hands to prevent sticking. Slightly flatten the balls into discs about 1 inch (2.5cm) thick.
Arrange the cookies on the lined baking sheets and chill in the fridge for at least 1 hour but ideally overnight. (Unbaked cookies can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking or in the freezer for up to 1 month. If frozen, defrost the cookies in the fridge for 8 to 10 hours or overnight before baking.)
When ready to bake, arrange the oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 340°F (170°C).
Place the cane sugar in a medium bowl and roll the cookies in the sugar. Return the coated cookies to the baking sheet, leaving 2 inches (5cm) between them to allow for spreading. Bake the cookies until they are cracking and dark brown on top, 14 to 16 minutes. If you are not using a convection oven, you may need to rotate the cookies halfway through. Allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheets.
- Yield:
- 14 cookies
