[the le sauce12 days of cookies]
“Slow as molasses…” so the saying goes, but lucky for you, these molasses cookies come together very quickly. Lucky for me, James’ family shared Grammie Piper’s recipe with me–these turned out almost as good as hers, though there’s something about sitting at her kitchen table in New Brunswick and having her offer you one from her stash that makes them much, much sweeter.
Grammie Piper’s Molasses Cookies
YS note: Adapted only slightly. If you pour your molasses into the same measuring cup as the one you poured your oil from, it flows much faster than its reputed too (much faster than a turtle’s pace…)
1 c milk
1 tsp distilled vinegar
5 c all purpose flour
3 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cloves
1 tsp kosher salt
1 c granulated sugar
1 c vegetable oil
1 c molasses (unsulphered)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Mix the milk and vinegar together in a non-reactive bowl and set aside for 10 minutes to sour. Meanwhile, add the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and salt to the flour and whisk to combine well.
Use an electric mixer or standing mixer to mix the sugar, oil and molasses well in a large bowl. Add the soured milk and the vanilla and mix to combine. With the mixer on low, gradually add the flour mixture and mix until fully incorporated (wipe down the sides and scrape the bottom with a spatula and mix for a few seconds more to make sure everything is combined well). Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and set in fridge for at least an hour to chill.
Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
Line baking sheet(s) with parchment paper and using lightly oiled hands, roll the dough into golf-ball-sized rounds and place on the baking sheet(s) 2 inches apart. Press down gently on each mound to flatten into disks, dust the tops with sugar and press the centre with the back of a form to make an imprint if desired. Bake for 12 minutes and remove from heat. Allow to cool for a minute on the sheet and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes roughly 3 dozen.