A while ago, around my nineteenth birthday, I had my tarot cards read by a woman named Marlene. Sadly, I don’t recall the faintest bit of what the cards said. It’s kind of disappointing, to tell you the truth. If I came seeking answers to some juicy question, I’ve long since forgotten what it was. (Not that anything juicy had happened to me yet, but that’s another story.) I’m not even sure how I found Marlene, other than to say that some female members of my family have a weakness for such things, including yours truly. I remember only two real tidbits of my meeting with her, and neither amounts to much. First, there was the squirrel thing. When she closed her eyes, she told me, she pictured me as a squirrel, stuffing my cheeks with nuts. I’m not sure what she meant by that, but I think of it occasionally, namely on nights involving multiple helpings of dessert. Then, second, there was the bit about delayed gratification.
“You want what you want, when you want it,” Marlene said solemnly. “You want instant gratification. Right now. This minute. You’ve got to work on that, hon. You’ve got to get more comfortable with delayed gratification.”
I have no idea what she was talking about. Sure, I was raised as an only child, so I guess I’m accustomed to getting my way, but I don’t know. Delayed gratification is okay, I guess. I’ve never seen it as much of a stumbling block. Or I hadn’t, at least, until this past week, when I found myself moping about a cookie recipe. I couldn’t get it right. And I wanted it the way I wanted it, right now.
It all started in Oklahoma, the weekend before last. Brandon and I always do a lot of cooking there, both because my mother’s kitchen is bright and roomy and because being there is so relaxing. We were only in town for three nights, but we cooked for two of them. We even baked cookies one afternoon, to have with coffee. That’s when the trouble started.
I had a vision of a certain cookie, but I didn’t have a recipe. I wanted a ginger cookie with molasses, a crackly-topped disc with a soft, dense center. I’ve written about something similar here before, but it didn’t crackle quite the right way. I wanted something crisp and bendy, craggy and crackly, and with chocolate chips. All in one cookie. I know what I want, and I wanted it immediately. You know, like, without delay.
So we searched the shelves and online, and we hemmed and hawed, and then we hawed some more. Eventually we settled on a good, standard formula, with plenty of ginger and cinnamon and molasses and butter. While I set to work on dinner, Brandon made the dough. We drank wine. We ate dolmas. We listened to Django Reinhardt. The cookies were in the oven and already smelling quite nice when Brandon announced, looking sheepishly at the pantry closet, that he’d forgotten the molasses.
Now, mind you, they were very fine cookies anyway. Given that a good chunk of their flavor had been left in the closet, they were very fine indeed. I ate four of them that night and another three on the plane ride home. They were snappy and sweet, with a good, firm kick. But my tiny, hard, cookie-judging heart wasn’t happy. They were gingersnaps, to be honest, and the cookie of my dreams was a nimble, chewy thing, with a soft crumb that swayed to the tooth. Granted, had we not forgotten the molasses, these cookies might have been it – the be-all, end-all – but I couldn’t be sure. I decided to do some research. In the seven days since our trip home, I’ve read a half-dozen recipes and made eighty-odd cookies. That’s more than four score, for the history scholars. That’s a lot of cookies. The women at Brandon’s work are going to hate me pretty soon for sending in so many sweets. Somewhere, Marlene is proud, I’m sure.
First, for a chewier cookie, I fiddled with the fat. Ordinarily, I’m not a big fan of shortening – it’s kind of weird, like an especially crumbly cake of Dove™ soap – but in some cases, it does wonders for texture. (Because it doesn’t melt as quickly as butter does, cookies made with shortening spread less in the oven than all-butter ones, and they have a puffier, chewy consistency.) For good measure, I also tweaked the spices and threw in a good slug of chocolate chips. Then, because a bag of demerara sugar is a very bad thing to waste, I gave each cookie a sparkly, crystalline coat.
It all sounds like fun, I’m sure, like a field trip to the local bakery with your chemistry class. But by Saturday or so, and the third go-round, I have to tell you, things were looking pretty grim. Given enough time, delayed gratification starts to rot. It stinks. Nobody tells you that, but it does. It’s a tough, nasty business. By the time the cookies were done, I wasn’t even sure I wanted to try them. I made Brandon go first, like a royal taster at court. But I’m happy to report, after all that futzing and fiddling, that the fuss made good. Never mind the wait and the wonky molasses. I got my cookies. They’re smart with spice and ginger, crisp here, chewy there, and chock-a-block with chocolate. Marlene would be pleased. They’re just right, she’d like to know, for stuffing in my cheeks.
Chocolate Chip Ginger-Molasses Cookies
When choosing shortening, be picky, and steer clear of brands that contain trans fats. I keep a tub of Spectrum brand shortening in the pantry closet, and it works like a charm.
Also, you’ll note that this recipe calls for molasses. In this particular cookie, I like a mild one, such as Brer Rabbit Mild Flavor Molasses, but you could also use a standard dark variety. I wouldn’t, however, reach for blackstrap molasses. It’ll make the cookies taste too dark and Christmasy. Plus, it covers up the flavor of the chocolate chips. That’s just wrong.
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 ½ tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. salt
1 ¼ cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
½ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¼ cup vegetable shortening, at room temperature
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 large egg
¼ cup unsulphured molasses
½ cup demerara sugar, for rolling
In a medium bowl, combine the flour, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, baking soda, and salt. Whisk well. Add the chocolate chips and crystallized ginger, and whisk to blend. Set aside.
In a large bowl – preferably, a stand mixer – beat the butter and shortening briefly to soften them. Add the sugars, and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and the molasses, and beat to blend well, scraping down the sides as needed. Add the flour mixture in two doses, beating briefly after each until the flour is just absorbed. Do not overmix. Use a rubber spatula to give the dough a final stir if necessary; it will be quite firm and stiff. Cover the bowl, and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper or silicone liners. Pour the demerara sugar into a small bowl.
Using damp hands, pinch off blobs of dough and roll them into 1 ¼- to 1 ½-inch balls. Roll each ball in sugar to coat. Place them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Roll only as many balls as you can fit on the sheet pans, and cover and refrigerate the remaining dough. I found that 8 balls per sheet was about right.
Bake the cookies until they are cracked on top but still soft to the touch, about 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. Cool on the sheets for 1 minute; then carefully transfer the cookies – still on the parchment or silicone liner – to wire racks to cool completely. When they are cool, remove them from the parchment or silicone liner.
When the baking sheets (and silicone liners, if using) are cool, repeat with more dough.
Yield: about 40 cookies
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 11:53 am Hooray! Triumph. I’m impressed – my patience would never have lasted through all those batches for testing. Can’t wait to try these hard-won fruits of labor! Wouldn’t it be nice to do a little cookie swap right now? One gingersnap for a raisin spice cookie, please. Or more. >>The photo, as usual, devastatingly gorgeous. 🙂
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 1:35 pm these cookies sure look good! can I use stem ginger in syrup instead, which happen to have lived in my fridge long enough and need to be used? cheers
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm look at you getting all experimental! wasn’t it just a few posts ago that you admitted to your fear of substitutions? well hallelujah, so glad you did! ginger, chocolate, crisp and chewy??? sounds like heaven to me. oh and i love it when you use more than one photo, like a little bonus. yay!
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 1:56 pm I can’t find molasses nor vegetable shortening here, so I won’t be able to bake these cookies (sigh!). But I LOVE your story writing skills, Molly! The way you contextualise your recipes is amazing.>PS I’ve got noooo idea what wanting, wait, demanding, instant gratification means;)
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 3:26 pm Hi Molly – what a cute post! I tried something similar at Dean and Deluca years ago – I think they were called “Sweet Dreams” and I’ve been looking for a recipe ever since. I will definitely have to try this!
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 4:19 pm Ah the joys of being an only child — I also want things my way, right away. 🙂 I sympathize with your plight and applaud your tenacity. Stick-to-it-tiveness is often hard to come by.>>Good work on emerging from the cookie challenge victoriously — they look delicious!
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 4:51 pm I’ll have to try it just as soon as we eat our way through the piles of girl scout cookies clogging our freezer…
- Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 5:02 pm
umm…and just WHY is there cookay dough still on the mixer blade??? I am designated clean up guy when it comes to that stuff 😉
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 6:20 pm Ginger *and* chocolate? Gonna have to give these a try!
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 7:41 pm One summer my brother went through an oatmeal-cranberry-chocolate chip cookie phase when he refused to use recipes and just kept baking batch after batch with slight modifications. It worked well for me: new cookies every day! Your story totally reminded me of that! Glad you finally got it right 🙂
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 7:55 pm I’m a ginger fan from way back and chocolate needs no explanation. But never have the two met in my kitchen. They both taste so good separately that it seems they could almost be combustible if put together. I guess I’ll have to take my chances! : )
-
Megan
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 8:33 pmyeah. lovely story.
-
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 9:49 pm yum, those sound DELICIOUS! i definitely could not have been that patient. and i would have seriously confused my tastebuds after the second or third batch… was this one better or the last one, etc. but that is why you are the chef and i am definitely NOT. congrats on finally getting it! >>and thanks for the tip on shortening.
-
susan
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 at 10:55 pmThese cookies sound terrific – maybe I’ll try them this weekend. >>For another ginger/chocolate cookie with the crispy and chewy qualities you are looking for, try the chocolate gingerbread recipe in the Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies magazine from a few years back. (If you don’t have it, I can send it to you.)>>The recipe has the all-important molasses, no eggs, butter but no shortening, grated ginger instead of crystallized, and cocoa *in addition* to chocolate bits. They are one of my favorite cookies ever, though a bit of a mess to make.>>Susan
-
J. Bo
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 12:49 amI learned the all-important lesson of half butter/half shortening when I had trouble getting my snickerdoodles to crinkle on top, the way the snickerdoodles of my childhood did. None of my experiments with dough-chilling and baking-temp-adjusting worked… until my mom confessed that she used to make them with margarine. Aha! Turns out the 1/2 and 1/2 formula provides perfect crinkles AND buttery flavor. >>I felt like I had discovered the key to the top-secret rocket formula.>>Can’t wait to try these ginger gems!
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 1:17 am You used the word ‘blobs’ in the recipe. I love that.
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 1:57 am After all your thorough research and ten billion baked cookies later, I’d feel very guilty if I didn’t give your delicious sounding recipe a go! Hannibal-the-Hamster would’ve loved to stuff his cheek pouches with this one.
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 4:50 am Hi Molly,>Being a fellow Oklahoma girl, I’m dying to know what and where you eat when you are back in Oklahoma City (and you are going out, not baking in your mom’s kitchen). My husband and I (now Californians) cringe every December when our requisite Christmas in OKC rolls around. I know that I’m going to gain five pounds at least in water weight from the salt alone, and he knows that he won’t be able to eat anything at all because he is allergic to dairy. So, if bloggers take special requests, I’d love to request a “where to eat in Oklahoma City” blog from you one day. Merci, Jenni (Jen Paschal’s friend and fellow bridesmaid with you at the Gottlieb wedding).
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 6:33 am Am I the first one to actually make your recipe?>>We took advantage of the super warm weather here today (about 60 degrees, we felt like wearing shorts) and walked to the nearest grocery store. DH picked up the ginger and Spectrum on his way home from work.>>They turned out exactly like you described! Crisp on the outside, chewy on the inside. Just the right amount of choc. chips, and great balance on the spices. >>I didn’t have Demerara sugar, so I used Sugar in the Raw. It looked like it was similar from the photos.>>Kudos! This will be a new family favorite!
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 1:40 pm Just wondering, but I think you left out the chocolate chips in the directions…>however, this is so perfect because it’s my hubby’s birthday today and his all time favorite is molasses cookies. will be baking as soon as I get off work!!
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 1:49 pm oh molly… chocolate chips + ginger! i am very very excited for these crisp + chewy cookies (and i love the description of you as a squirrel with your cheeks full of cookies 🙂 ) my family is into the horoscopes too, though my folks hate to admit it. after scoffing at indian astrology for so long, right before i got married my mother admitted that she had checked to see if the date + time were “auspicious.” which, luckily, they were, as the invitations had already been sent 🙂
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 5:36 pm Oh my goodness . . . You have far more patience than I! Those cookies look delicious though. Congrats on taking the slow and steady route!
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 7:36 pm Ah Ginger…one of my true loves. Crystallized ginger and chocolate together in a cookie– If that is not a downright heavenly match, I don’t know what is–
-
Wednesday, March 14, 2007 at 9:05 pm Oh <>yes<>, my dear Luisa, a cookie swap! I love the sound of yours, with that vanilla bean dough and those golden raisins with lemon zest and ginger. Lady, you have quite the eye for a good recipe. xo>>Ales, I have to admit, I’ve heard of stem ginger in syrup, but I’ve never seen it or used it. So I can’t say for certain how it would work here. What’s the worst that could happen, though? I say, give it a go!>>Hannah, I know – I surprise even myself! I don’t know what got into me. Usually, I don’t have the patience for fiddling, much less the backbone for real experimentation. Maybe I’m turning over a new leaf? Testing recipes for the book is making me downright bold and brazen. Rrrroar! xo>>Aw, thank you, Pille! Maybe you need a care package of molasses and shortening from the States?>>I love that name, Alice Q – “Sweet Dreams.” Pretty cute! I had two of these last night – pulled from the freezer and microwaved a touch to defrost – and I <>did<> have pretty sweet ones…>>Thanks, Kristel! This was good incentive for Only Child Me to keep working on her patience and tenacity.>>Oh, Christianne, I know – it’s that time, isn’t it? When I went to the store on Saturday to buy more molasses – for these cookies, of course – there were some Girl Scouts outside the front door, selling their wares. I was so, SO tempted to buy a couple of boxes. SO TEMPTED. Next time, I might not be so strong…>>Well, wheresmymind, you weren’t here, now were you? What was I to do? And that little bit of cookie dough was so photogenic! I had to leave it there – at least until a photo had been taken, you know.>>I hear you, Magpie Ima. Ginger and chocolate are a pretty magical combination…>>Max, that sounds like one heck of a summer! Wow. You lucky thing.>>Yes, Anali, do take your chances! I don’t think you’ll be sorry. (And, happily, I don’t think you’ll combust, either. Phew!)>>Thanks, Megan.>>Anniepall, you know, it <>was<> a little confusing there, after a batch or two. That’s why I was almost afraid to taste the last batch on Saturday – I was <>over it<>. Luckily, though, Brandon was around to help taste. We owe him one!>>Susan, I would <>love<> to have that recipe. Would you send it to me? Please? My e-mail address is cheeseandchocolate (at) gmail (dot) com.>>J. Bo, would you believe that I’ve never made snickerdoodles? It’s pretty shameful. Might you be talked into sharing your recipe one day?>>Thanks, Mercedes! Keeping it real, you know. >>Make ’em, Y! Don’t make me guilt you.>>Hi Jenni! Good to hear from you! And I know what you mean about eating in OKC – it’s pretty dreary. Here are a few places we like. For lunch, I LOVE < HREF="http://www.google.com/maps?hl=en&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&hs=G8Z&q=mediterranean+imports&near=Oklahoma+City,+OK&radius=0.0&latlng=35467500,-97516111,16133830549070337454&sa=X&oi=local&ct=authority" REL="nofollow">Mediterranean Imports & Deli<> on May, a couple blocks south of 63rd Street. They have some of the best falafel I’ve eaten in the States, and their hummus is wonderful. They also do great dolmas and tabouli. We usually go there for lunch at least once, and we take hummus and dolmas home for snacking, too. I also don’t mind the Saturn Grill, in Nichols Hills Plaza. It’s nothing earth-shattering, especially compared to what’s available out here on the West Coast, but it works in a pinch. Good sandwiches and salads and daily soups, and pretty healthy too. Dinner is tougher. I usually go for ethnic options. Taj India Cuisine on Northwest Expressway is truly fantastic, and Thai Palace in Edmond is terrific (although the service can be odd there, so I’d recommend getting it to go.) Tokyo Sushi on Western, near Wilshire, isn’t bad either. Hope that helps – and happy OKCing!>>That makes me so happy, Amy Lu! Hip, hip! So glad to hear it.>>Stitchkommander, I hope I’m not too late in getting back to you! The chocolate chips (and crystallized ginger) get added to the flour and spices in the first paragraph of the instructions. Happy birthday to your husband!>>Amisha, I love the story of your mother checking up on your wedding date! Maybe I should make sure ours is auspicious too? Hmm. It’s tempting…>>Thanks, Sarah!>>Melindy, it is most definitely a heavenly match. For sure.
-
Thursday, March 15, 2007 at 5:24 am wow thank you – these loook DELICIOUS
-
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 5:16 am These look like a tweaked version of these ginger spice cookies from epicurious.com: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/103156>>which are truly fantastic, esp when made following some suggestions from reviewers. Chocolate? Hmmm I have to think about that. Love both chocolate and ginger, so might have to make the leap.
-
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 6:04 am Ahhhh, yes. Delayed gratification is a tough one. I just made a batch of my family biscotti and they define that concept for me. You mix it up one day, and then wait anywhere from 1 to 5 to actually bake them. The sitting in the fridge allows the flavors to meld beautifully, which is something that just doesn’t happen in a few hours. The suspense KILLS me……and then the anise and walnut revival reminds me why I wait. Good going Molly, practice, practice, practice.
-
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 1:23 pm They turned out absolutely delicious! (and this coming from someone who’s tried quite few different molasses cookie recipes myself!) Just the right combo of ginger and the use of the lighter molasses is a great idea. You can see a photo on my blog:) http://www.maepresss.blogspot.com
-
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 8:53 pm Chocolate and ginger. Oh, yeah.
-
Friday, March 16, 2007 at 10:06 pm You are a brilliant writer–not only do I want to try these cookies (just purchased the ingredients) but I printed out the post to read to my family.
-
Saturday, March 17, 2007 at 4:47 pm Leaving out the molasses!>Too funny..wish I worked in boyfriend’s office..
-
Saturday, March 17, 2007 at 11:38 pm wow these look and sound delicious. can’t wait to try them! thanks for the recipe!!!>>happy st. patrick’s day!
-
Anonymous
Sunday, March 18, 2007 at 8:42 pmnew reader of orangette.tried this cookie recipe today.i’m in heaven.the middle is as soft as silk with a chewy texture on top and bottom.>keep it up molly.
-
Monday, March 19, 2007 at 5:00 pm You’re welcome, One Crabapple! They <>are<> pretty darn good…>>Sara, you’re right – that Epicurious recipe is one of the ones I looked at as I tweaked and fussed over these. As for chocolate, I hope you make the leap! It’s awfully tasty.>>D-man, those biscotti sound like <>torture<>! I can well imagine, though, how nicely the flavor must develop over so much time. A good lesson, I suppose. [<>Sigh<>.]>>Love that photograph, stitchkommander! So sweet.>>You said it, Rebekka. Oh <>yeah<>.>>Thank you, Shanna! Your comment made my day.>>ParisBreakfasts, you should have seen the look on my face when he told me that he’d left out the molasses. The horror!>>You’re very welcome, Linda! And (a belated) happy St. Patrick’s Day to you.>>I love your description, Anonymous! So glad you like the cookies. Hip, hip!
-
Monday, March 19, 2007 at 8:31 pm Mm! I made these upon returning home from vacation and they’re perfect! They’ve been shared and enjoyed much.
-
melanie
Tuesday, March 20, 2007 at 7:46 pmperfect combo. choco-lasses!>dunno if i can go back to plain ‘ole molasses crinkles now.>thanks for your great writing & wonderful recipes molly!!
-
Wednesday, March 21, 2007 at 4:41 pm Oh good, pomegranate! So glad you like ’em.>>Thank <>you<>, Melanie. Choco-lasses! I love that.
-
Monday, March 26, 2007 at 2:22 am Made these and they were divine! This is the exact texture I want in a regular chocolate chip cookie also – do you think I can just drop the molasses, spices and demerera coating? Or do you have another choc chip recipe you recommend? Most are either too thin/crispy or too cakey. I want them just like these – plenty of cookie to bite into, but with a nice chewy feel. Love it!
-
Monday, March 26, 2007 at 5:32 pm So glad you liked them, Becky! Hip, hip! >>As for getting a chocolate chip cookie with a similar texture, let’s see. If I were you, I wouldn’t spend too much time fiddling with this recipe. As far as I understand, a good part of the chewy texture here comes from molasses, so without it, you probably wouldn’t get the result you’re after. Instead, I’d make < HREF="http://wordstoeatby.blogspot.com/2004/12/best-homemade-chocolate-chip-cookies.html" REL="nofollow">these<>. They’re my current favorite in the chocolate chip category, and while they don’t have <>quite<> the same chew, they’re pretty awesome.
-
Monday, March 26, 2007 at 7:53 pm Just made these this weekend and they turned out great. When they first came out, the chocolate didn’t seem to add much, as it was still melted and was overwhelmed by the ginger. However, I thought the combination worked much better when they cooled down.>>And, of course, my girlfriend had some choice words about me buying a tub of shortening (they only had big 24 oz. ones) for the recipe. I’ll figure out something else to use it with, I’m sure.
-
Tuesday, March 27, 2007 at 1:13 am Ian, I know just what you mean. When I first tasted these, they were warm, and I wasn’t terribly impressed. The oozy chocolate was too soft and mild, and the ginger was too fragrant. But once they were cool, they tasted much more balanced, and the chocolate stood up for itself. Brandon always scolds me for tasting cookies when they’re still warm – they never taste that great, and I’m always disappointed! Maybe someday I’ll learn to wait…
-
Monday, April 2, 2007 at 5:08 pm Is there really a place that Blackstrap works? It always makes what ever it has been added to taste amazingly like dirt. I’m going to hop right out and get some rabbit molasses.
-
Wednesday, April 4, 2007 at 10:55 pm I hear you, April. Blackstrap molasses is dark, serious stuff. I’ve used it with success, though, in gingerbread, as well as in < HREF="http://wednesdaychef.typepad.com/the_wednesday_chef/2007/02/melissa_clarks_.html" REL="nofollow">these baked beans<>. (Which are fantastic, by the way.)
-
Anonymous
Friday, April 6, 2007 at 3:17 amMy wife is addicted to a food forum where they discuss this incredible molasses at: http://www.topicbuzz.com
-
Sunday, April 15, 2007 at 7:58 pm Your cookie recipe sounds delicious. Might I suggest using vegetable oil instead of shortening, in combination with the butter? I find that this duo contributes both flavour (from the butter) and chewy tenderness (from the oil) without the waxiness that can come from shortening. And because I believe you have this book, there is an excellent ginger cookie recipe in Once Upon a Tart: use the recipe that includes a spoonful of cocoa (I can’t remember for sure, but I think it is the recipe contributed by a customer).
-
Tuesday, May 1, 2007 at 1:08 pm Molly – I had a jar of blackstrap in my cupboard (used for when I bake my grandfather’s whole wheat bread, which isn’t often, but is completely divine), so I used it for these cookies. I just used a little bit less than the recipe called for, to lessen the potency. And you know what? Still delicious! I also used sugar in the raw instead of that fancy sugar (the Soviet Safeway has its limits). Anyway, I was pleased, the Boyfriend was pleased, the Roomate was pleased, and the apartment smelled like everything good in this world.
-
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 at 4:40 pm Thanks for the tip about vegetable oil, Natalie. I haven’t noticed any waxiness in these cookies, but I’m intrigued anyway by the idea of using oil instead. I’ve always got some canola hanging around the fridge, so the next time I make these, I’ll give your trick a try.>>And dc365, so glad you liked ’em! Smart tweaking, there, with that blackstrap molasses…
-
Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 11:25 am People, be warned. Once you start making these, you won’t be allowed to stop. I’ve already had to make three batches this week, in part because the Boyfriend’s coworkers are now obsessed with them. He’s thinking he can get a promotion out of these. In which case, they should be renamed “promotion cookies.”
-
Thursday, May 3, 2007 at 5:09 pm Hot damn! dc365, I had no idea that these cookies had such power! If he does get that promotion, I’d better be the first to hear of it…
-
Saturday, December 8, 2007 at 2:35 pm Mmm. So a friend has a cookie potluck every December for her holiday party. I made these last night for it … and am having a very tough time keeping my grubby little fingers out of the bag I’ve tucked them into. They really go so nicely with my morning coffee. They’re completely delicious.
-
Saturday, December 22, 2007 at 4:45 pm thank you. these are amazing.
-
Monday, February 4, 2008 at 8:19 pm these came out amazing! Maybe the best cookies I’ve every had. Chocolate and molasses together is pure genius. >>-sara
-
Anonymous
Saturday, May 9, 2009 at 12:51 amJust had guests for dinner and everyone proclaimed these cookies to be outstanding. I substituted two tablespoons of cocoa for some of the flour in memory of a fabulous Martha Stewart ginger and chocolate chip cookie recipe I had made many years ago. I think the cocoa added a slight depth of flavour that is not really noticeable yet makes a difference. This cookie has the perfect balance of flavours and texture. Thanks for the recipe…and the story of its many predecessors.
-
Tuesday, June 2, 2009 at 3:35 pm Finally pulled this out of the bookmark folder! Very yum, thank you!
-
Anonymous
Sunday, November 22, 2009 at 8:27 pmI avoid baking at most costs, but w/ the first snow of the season and Thanksgiving around the corner, I awoke thinking about trying to bake ginger chocolate chip cookies and went in search of a recipe. I knew just what I wanted to make and rejected countless recipes before stumbling upon yours–there it was! Exactly what I was envisioning. I'm the 5th of 6 kids so know all about delayed gratification–glad it led me to persist in finding this recipe. Thanks!
-
Ena
Monday, January 17, 2011 at 12:19 pmDo you think I could use honey instead of molasses and not change the texture a lot?
-
Thursday, January 20, 2011 at 4:39 am Ena, I hope this reply isn't too late! I don't know much about substituting honey for molasses, but I don't imagine it would change the texture, no. That's my best guess! It would certainly change the flavor, though, so that's something to keep in mind.
-
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 4:50 pm I started making these cookies a few years ago. They are most certainly my favorite and a definite must-bake during the holidays (and always a favorite at cookies swaps). I highly recommend letting the dough sit overnight or even 2-3 before baking off the cookies.
-
Thursday, December 22, 2011 at 4:50 pm I started making these cookies a few years ago. They are most certainly my favorite and a definite must-bake during the holidays (and always a favorite at cookies swaps). I highly recommend letting the dough sit overnight or even 2-3 before baking off the cookies.
-
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 1:59 pm Fab cookies! I made these over the weekend during a particularly strong rush of domesticity. They are just as you described: chewy, soft and crispy cracked on top. My in-laws thank you 🙂 I'm making another batch today and am using half golden syrup, half treacle because it's hard to find light molasses where I live (good old Dublin) and as you predicted, they were a bit too Christmasy for June when I used molasses in the last batch. You're the best! Thanks for sharing your kitchen genius with us!
-
Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 1:59 pm Fab cookies! I made these over the weekend during a particularly strong rush of domesticity. They are just as you described: chewy, soft and crispy cracked on top. My in-laws thank you 🙂 I'm making another batch today and am using half golden syrup, half treacle because it's hard to find light molasses where I live (good old Dublin) and as you predicted, they were a bit too Christmasy for June when I used molasses in the last batch. You're the best! Thanks for sharing your kitchen genius with us!
