Molasses Spice Cookies
Starbucks Ginger Molasses Cookies


I've got it. I've reproduced the Starbucks molasses spice cookies.
Well, at least my recollection of them. They are big (6-7 inch
diameter), tall (1/2-3/4 inch high), soft in the center, and
wonderfully cracked on the outside. I would say "third time's a charm"
but this is actually the fourth try. I made another batch last week
that was almost perfect using this recipe. The recipe promises cookies
that are the same as Starbucks', but they didn't live up to my
expectations. With the recipe as it is, the cookies were big and
chewy, but they fell flat soon after they came out of the oven. In
blindly following the recipe, I neglected the experience gained from
my earlier attempts with this cookie. The previous tips I had used
were to use shortening instead of butter to reduce the spread in the
oven and to be sure to cream the sugar and the shortening well.

So I tried the recipe again with these modifications. The result
spectacular; the cookies were everything I had hoped for. As I was
making them, Nadia was preparing me for the worst, telling me that it
might not be possible to create the cookie that I wanted, but I held
out hope and was justly rewarded. I also did some more research.
Shirley O. Corriher's book has the tips I had learned before, plus a
few new ones. One interesting one that I used here was to mix some of
the water based liquids with the flour. This will create some gluten
and make for more chewy cookies. And indeed it did.


Molasses Spice Cookies

2 1/4 cup flour
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
2 1/2 tbs milk
9 1/2 tbs butter flavored shortening
1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
1/3 cup granulated sugar for coating dough

Preheat oven to 3750. Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and
ginger into a medium bowl and set aside. Cream the shortening and
brown sugar in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy, no less
than 3 minutes. Beat in the egg and molasses and continue to mix until
well combined. Pour the milk over the flour mixture and stir gently
until it has absorbed some of the flour. Gradually add the flour
mixture into the shortening mixture, scraping down the sides of the
bowl several times.

Form the dough into as many balls as you want cookies; I got six balls
of about 1/2 cup of dough each which turned into 7-inch cookies. Roll
the dough balls in the granulated sugar and refrigerate for 20 minutes
or until cold and firm. Place a few balls, well separated, on a baking
sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone pan liner. Using the
bottom of a glass, flatten each of the balls until it is between 1/2
and 3/4 inch thick. Sprinkle a bit more sugar over the top of the
flattened dough balls and pop them into the oven.

Bake for about 12 minutes rotating the pan halfway through cooking.
When they're done, the outside edge should be just a shade darker than
the inner part and the surface should have a network of cracks
revealing the chewy insides. Remove the cookies form the oven and let
them cool on the baking sheet for about 2 minutes. Transfer to a rack
to cool completely. Store the cookies in a closed container or they
will lose most of their chewiness and get hard.

Source: http://www.whatweate.com/archives/2003/02/16.html





Starbucks Ginger Molasses Cookies

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 24 minutes (to bake two
batches)

Next time you wander into Starbucks for one
of those $2.50 mega ginger cookies with
crackled tops, remind yourself you can make
the same cookie right in your own kitchen.

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsps. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter,
softened
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 extra-large egg
1/4 cup regular unsulphured molasses
(blackstrap is too strong for this cookie)
Granulated sugar (for coating cookie dough
before baking)
Non-stick vegetable spray (optional, for
coating the scoop)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees with the rack in the center. Line 2 baking
sheets with parchment paper, silicone pan liners or aluminum foil (if
using foil, grease foil with 1 Tb. butter or solid vegetable shortening).
Set aside. Sift flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and ginger into a
medium bowl. Set aside.

Cream the butter and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl with mixer on high
speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. With mixer on medium speed,
beat in the egg and molasses, then increase the speed to high and beat
about 1 minute longer, until the mixture no longer looks curdled. Scrape
the sides with a rubber spatula several times while mixing.

Mix in the flour mixture on low speed. The batter will be rather stiff.
Place some granulated sugar on a small plate or saucer. Use a 1/4-cup ice
cream scoop or a measuring cup to form 1/4-cup portions of dough. (Spray
the cup or scoop with the optional non-stick vegetable spray to make it
easier to release the dough.) Transfer the dough to your hands and roll
each portion into a rough ball, then roll each ball into the sugar. Place
six sugared balls on each baking sheet, spacing them evenly, because they
will spread during baking. Dampen your fingers with water and press down
lightly on each cookie to flatten it a little and dampen the top.
Refrigerate one filled baking sheet while the other bakes. Bake for 12
minutes, or until the cookies have spread and are firm to the touch.
Rotate the sheet 180 degrees halfway through the baking time. Remove from
the oven and let the cookies cool on the baking sheet.

Note: This dough can be frozen for slice-and- bake cookies. Just roll into
a log 2 1/2 inches thick. Wrap in plastic wrap and then in foil. Can be
stored in the freezer up to 6 months.

Makes 1 dozen large cookies. Per cookie: 290 calories, 3g protein, 42g
carbohydrates, 1g fiber, 12g fat (7g saturated), 275mg sodium.

Source: http://food4.epicurious.com/HyperNew...ie/1337/1.html


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