‘Tis the season for cookies, clementines, hot chocolate and pomegranates. Eat, and repeat. Like my Christmas decorations, every part of my merry making this year has been pared down to the very basic and most essential, and I can honestly say I’m enjoying the lead up to the holidays far more than any other year.
In place of vibrant holiday decorations, I’ve decked my halls with candles, fairy lights, greenery and a Christmas tree that’s sporting nothing more than white lights and oven-dried orange slices. My minimalist approach is mostly due to my curious, climbing toddler, but it’s also a reflection of my obsession with all things hygge (you can read more about it and this Danish word over on SavvyMom).
I’ve brought this cozy and calm approach to the season into the kitchen as well, baking and cooking most mornings and sharing hot drinks with the older kids at night after Matthew goes to bed. Instead of having a hyper-organized plan in place for what to make and when to make it, like in years past, I’m keeping things tasty by reducing my must-make list to nothing but the very essential: cookies, tourtiere, sausage rolls, holiday candy, and mulled wine. There are also the edible gifts that I’m packing up, and the hot cocoa mix I’ve stored in the cupboard, but none of it is complicated, kind of like all of my Christmas plans this year.
These cookies are simple, too. Are you sensing a theme here? They bring the best flavours of the season – chocolate, ginger, cinnamon and molasses – to the table in a wholesome way, thanks to the whole wheat flour, Demerara sugar and dark chocolate. I’ve been making these for years, tweaking them a little each time. I think this version is the best, which is why I can finally share it with you. I can’t wait to hear what you think of them.
Chewy Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Makes 2 dozen cookies
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup demerara sugar (or dark brown sugar
- ½ cup molasses
- 4 oz semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
- ⅓ cup evaporated cane or granulated sugar (for rolling)
1. Combine the flours, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a mixing bowl; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed, until fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the bowl, add the molasses and mix until combined.
3. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture and stir just until blended. Tip in the chopped chocolate and mix it into the cookie dough.
4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, or overnight.
5. Preheat the oven to 325ºF and line two standard baking sheets with parchment paper.
6. Place the cane sugar in a small bowl. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them around in the sugar. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them two inches apart. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until the tops of the cookies begin to crack and the edges are set.
7. Remove cookies from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes. Store in a lidded container at room temperature for up to three days, or in the freezer for three months.
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