Years ago during the holidays, Costco put out these incredible ginger molasses cookies to complement their already unbeatable bakery lineup. They were exactly what I wanted a ginger molasses cookie to be: perfectly dark, not too sweet, and light slightly crispy coating of granulated sugar to complement the perfect pillowy softness. When the following Christmas season came around, the cookies were nowhere to be found. Distraught, I asked a bakery worker. Just as I feared: discontinued. Since then I’ve wanted to come up with my own recipe with all those same qualities. Finally, the time has come.
I went through a lot – a LOT – of different iterations of cookies before landing on the recipe I like. There were many issues: too thin, too crispy, too chewy. I tried different combinations of butter and butter-flavored shortening. Ultimately I ended up with just butter. While the shortening promotes softness because it remains stable at room temperature, because it’s pure fat (unlike butter which has some water in it) it causes too much crisping on the bottom. And really I’m not mad that I have to nix a synthetic product.
But the true hero? Egg nog. I was having trouble replicating the softness I wanted in later bakes of this recipe. I remembered at one point I was adding in 1 tsp water to the water. That same day I had made a batch of Lofthouse cookies (those super-soft frosted ones you find at the grocery store) using egg nog and the result was fantastic, so I thought what the hell – I threw in a splash of egg nog to the dough and that was it. Perfectly, addictively soft every single time. But don’t skip the chilling!
Ingredients
6 oz (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
¼ cup (heaping) molasses
1 egg, room temperature
2 tbs egg nog (or heavy cream)
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp (heaping) kosher salt
2 ½ tsp ground ginger
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fresh grated nutmeg
⅛ tsp ground clove (a pinch)
⅛ tsp ground cardamom (optional, but really nice if you have it)
¼ cup granulated sugar for rolling
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium high for 4-5 min until super light and fluffy.
- While butter and sugar are beating, in a medium sized bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Whisk thoroughly to combine.
- Turn mixer to low and add molasses. Once combined, turn off mixer, scrape down bottom and sides, then turn mixer back to low. Add egg and beat until combined. Add egg nog and beat until combined.
- Add flour mixture and beat on low until just combined. Using a 1 ½ tbs cookie scoop, scoop out cookie dough, roll in your hands until smooth and place on a parchment-lined quarter sheet pan or into a covered container. Dough will be sticky. Place in refrigerator to chill 1 hour (or freezer for 30 min).
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350˚. Place oven rack on the center rung.
- Line a half sheet pan with parchment paper. Add granulated sugar to small bowl or pie plate. Toss each dough ball in granulated sugar until coated completely and place on cookie sheet. Arrange 8 dough balls per sheet (I do five rows of 2-1-2-1-2).
- Bake one sheet at a time for 11 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on sheet tray before moving to wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Notes
- Chilling the dough is a crucial step for the texture, so don't skip it!
- Truth be told I don't ever measure the egg nog, I just throw a splash in!
- Dough can be made a day or more in advance and kept in the refrigerator. When ready to bake, let the dough sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until dough is soft enough to scoop but still cold.
- Don't forget my #1 rule about baking cookies: if they're the consistency you want when they're hot out of the oven, they are going to be dry and overdone once they cool. Don't be afraid to stop the baking when they're a little too soft!