So when I came across this recipe in my trusty box and my desire built for the soft, chewy, rich goodness I remembered - I decided to go through the trouble. Then I let the card sit in the holder I keep on my counter until it basically became part of the decor. Finally I couldn't find enough excuses to ignore it any longer, rolled my sleeves up and went for it.
I started out doing all the same steps. I floured the counter (which uses far too much of my precious gluten free mix I think) kneaded the dough a bit, rolled it out and cut the circles. I thought I might put a glaze on the top when they were finished, then I thought to sprinkle some organic sugar on top before they went into the oven. That was a great idea!! It took the cookie I loved and gave it just that little bit more in all the right ways! They were the same soft consistency, same chewy goodness, same deep rich flavor but with a little sweetness on top. Yet, I still hated the rolling. So, I thought, "I'm already changing things up a bit, why not try a different approach".
I decided to roll the dough into balls, roll them around in the sugar and then bake them. Voila! The perfect molasses cookie that I will make far more often. In fact I think that the flavor even increased because they were a little thicker. Craig did some official taste testing for me of all the different styles and came to the same conclusion.
Since they didn't seem to last as long as I told myself I could let them - they are just too good with a morning cup of coffee, as an afternoon snack and after dinner dessert. So, no longer intimidated by the rolling process I made another batch a few days later. This time I thought I'd try using butter instead of shortening and as soon as I took them out of the oven I could tell something was different. It wasn't the butter however, it was the fact that on my recipe card I had written the xanthan gum in the corner and as I went through the steps the second time I didn't pay attention enough and forgot to include it in the mix. I'm actually surprised the cookies not only held their shape somewhat but that they held together at all once they cooled and I picked them up. The flavor was even there but they turned to powder almost once you bit into them. VERY crumbly but instead of just throwing them away I decided to keep them and see if I can't make them into some kind of crust.
So a third batch was necessary. The butter did add a lot of, well, buttery flavor to the cookies which was really good but it was too different for me from what I like them to be. I think for a fun variation coconut oil would also be an interesting flavor combination; maybe next time. With the shortening and using almond milk, it makes them also dairy free which is a nice bonus.
Gluten Free Molasses Cookies
1/2 c. Shortening (I like Spectrum)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. molasses
2 eggs
4 c. Gluten Free flour mix
2 1/2 tsp. xanthan gum
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp milk (almond works great)
extra sugar to roll in
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a separate bowl mix the flour, xanthan gum, baking soda and baking powder together, set aside. Beat shortening until soft and creamy. Add sugar and molasses and beat until fully combined. Add eggs and beat again, scraping the bowl when necessary. Add in about 1/3 of the flour mixture and let get incorporated, then add 1 Tbsp of the milk, scrape the sides of the bowl and then another 1/3 of flour, the second Tbsp of milk, scrape again and finally the last 1/3 of flour. At this point you can put it into the fridge for 30 min or so to make it easier to roll into balls but it isn't necessary. Gently roll the dough into 1 1/2" balls and roll them around in a bowl of sugar to fully cover then place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about 2-3" apart. The balls will not be perfectly round. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min. Let cool on a wire rack and enjoy!
This makes about 3-4 dozen depending on how you roll them
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