Description
Sweet memories of grandma’s kitchen come alive with these molasses crackle cookies, where rich spices and deep caramel notes dance across a crisp, sugar-dusted surface. Warm winter comfort waits in each crackled bite that connects you to generations of baking love.
Ingredients
Scale
Primary Ingredients:
- 3 2/3 cups (437 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 cup (240 milliliters) canola oil
- 2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup (80 milliliters) molasses
- 1 egg
Spices and Leavening Agents:
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Garnish:
- 2 1/4 cups (450 grams) granulated sugar (for rolling)
Instructions
- Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves) in a medium mixing bowl until thoroughly combined.
- In a large bowl, vigorously blend canola oil with most of the sugar until the mixture becomes smooth and lighter in color.
- Incorporate the molasses and egg into the oil-sugar mixture, stirring until the liquid ingredients are fully integrated.
- Gradually fold the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring gently until a cohesive dough forms without overmixing.
- Prepare a separate shallow dish with the remaining sugar for coating the cookie dough.
- Using a portioning scoop, create uniform dough balls, then roll each one completely in the sugar to create a sparkling exterior.
- Arrange the sugar-coated dough balls on parchment-lined baking sheets, ensuring substantial spacing between each cookie to allow for spreading.
- Heat the oven to 350°F and position the rack in the center for even baking.
- Slide the prepared baking sheets into the preheated oven and bake for 10-12 minutes, watching for the signature golden-brown edges and characteristic surface cracking.
- Remove cookies from the oven and let them rest on the baking sheets for a few minutes to firm up before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
Notes
- Swap canola oil with coconut oil for a richer, more tropical flavor profile that adds subtle sweetness.
- Roll cookie balls in turbinado sugar instead of white sugar to create extra sparkly, crunchy exterior with deeper caramel notes.
- Ensure spices like ginger and cinnamon are fresh to maximize their aromatic intensity and warm, complex flavor depth.
- Store cookies in an airtight container with a slice of bread to maintain soft, chewy texture for several days after baking.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Desserts, Snacks
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 24
- Calories: 195
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 29 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Cholesterol: 10 mg