That's a Cookie with Character: Robust Molasses Cookies . . .

My hubby says he loves molasses cookies, which I, for some unknown reason, barely ever remember to make for him. The recipe below, which I zealously ripped from the latest Penzey's spice catalog, is a really, really good one. With a great combination of warm complex flavors, it somehow has more character than a typical molasses cookie. What kind of character am I talking about? Well, if this cookie could help a little old lady cross the street, I think it would do so without hesitation. One might say it's an Eagle Scout of a cookie, and that's exactly the kind of character you want in a molasses cookie--am I right?

It's definitely sweet enough, though not remotely cloying. And it doesn't bombard you with its spiciness, despite the fact that it contains a healthy amount of ginger, cinnamon, and--that bad boy of the baking-spice rack--ground cloves. The only aspect of the recipe's ingredients that I want to note for you is that I used "robust" molasses instead of light molasses, Grandma's brand Robust variety to be specific. It's described on the jar as being slightly less sweet than their light molasses and, of course, it's a deeper shade of brown. (Note that "robust" molasses does not equal blackstrap molasses, the latter of which is substantially more bitter.)

If you want these cookies to be a bit soft and chewy, bake them the absolute minimum amount of time. I found that there's an extremely fine line here between raw-on-the-inside and baked-just-long-enough to make them come out chewy but not too crunchy. My intention was to go for chewy, but the first couple cookie sheets I baked were in the oven just a wee bit too long. Crunchy or chewy, though, they will be delicious.

This recipe gets a big seal of Jane's Sweets approval. (Yes, I reworded the instructions just slightly here and there. Nothing big.)

Molasses Cookies

(For a printable version of this recipe, click here!)

1 and 1⁄2 cups vegetable shortening, melted and cooled (I melted the shortening slowly in a sauce pan on very low heat, then poured it into a glass-pitcher type measuring cup and put it in the fridge for maybe 15 minutes to speed the cooling. In the original recipe, they say,"Butter does not work well for this recipe, as the cookies won’t get the traditional crinkly look." So, don't substitute butter!)

2 cups granulated sugar
1⁄2 cup molasses (I used "robust"; you could use light instead, but don't use blackstrap)
2 eggs
4 cups All-Purpose flour (unsifted)
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. cinnamon (I used Vietnamese/Saigon Cassia cinnamon--intense and wonderful!)
1 tsp. salt
1⁄3 cup extra sugar for rolling

To the melted, cooled shortening add the sugar, molasses, and eggs. Beat well.

In a separate bowl, sift together the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to
the wet ingredients, mixing with a spoon (or on the lowest speed with your mixer, which is what I did) to incorporate. Chill the dough for at least an hour or more.

Preheat oven to 375°. Using about a tablespoon of dough, form into balls.

Roll in sugar and place on ungreased cookie sheets lined with parchment, about 2 inches apart.

Bake for 7-9 minutes. Check at 7 minutees. You want them to flatten out but still be soft. Let the cookies cool for 1-2 minutes before removing them from the pan.


Recipe full disclosure! -- This recipe appears in the December 2009 Penzey's spice catalog and is credited to Linda Aukerman of Findlay, Ohio, who notes that it is "an old family recipe that we've been making for years."

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Cinnamon Streusel Cake: Sometimes You Just Gotta Have It!

Have you ever been appalled, or just otherwise annoyed, by the pathetic lack of streusel in an otherwise respectable-looking cinnamon streusel cake? If you're nodding your head right now, read on.

For the disappointed among us, here's an interestingly satisfying cake. It comes out looking very striped, with two pronounced layers of streusel--one in the middle and one on top. The recipe contains a full cup of chopped pecans, within the streusel layers only, but if you don't want to include nuts you can quite safely leave them out without harming the integrity, or the dignity for that matter, of your creation.

For the top I made a simple glaze of sifted confectioners' sugar, a few tablespoons of heavy cream (but you could use water or milk, if you prefer; the cream adds richness) and several judicious drops of almond extract. And while we're on the subject, I must tell you that I adore the smell of really high quality almond extract. It's just luscious.

In that same vein, I urge you to use the best cinnamon you can get your hands on for a cake like this, a cake whose whole focus and raison d'etre is the cinnamon. After trying a few brands, my personal favorite is Penzey's Extra Fancy Vietnamese Cassia. Yum. (Let me say that again for added emphasis . . . Yum.)

It's substantially more concentrated than the cheaper stuff and, like Penzey's almond extract, the scent of this cinnamon is out of this world. I mean like from another planet out of this world. Some really good planet, where the aliens bake incredible stuff, and probably even wear cute aprons.

Cinnamon Streusel Cake

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a ten-cup bundt pan (or use baking spray, which is a much easier tactic with this type of pan; it gets in all the pesky nooks and crannies, and never leaves that awful residue that regular cooking spray sometimes leaves on your good pans).

For the streusel:
1 cup AP flour
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 tiny pinch of salt
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into chunks
1 cup well-chopped pecans


For the cake:
2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened
2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup of sour cream
4 large eggs
1 tbsp. of vanilla extract
2 cups AP flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda

For the streusel, mix flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-sized bowl. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add in the pecans. Set aside.

For the cake, in a large mixer bowl, beat the sugar, butter, and sour cream for a few minutes until light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Scrape the bowl as needed. Beat in the vanilla.

Gradually beat in the flour and baking soda on low speed until blended. Scrape the bowl down to the bottom to make sure all the flour is mixed in.

Spread half of the streusel into the bundt pan, evenly all around. Pour/spoon half of the batter evenly over the streusel. Over that, sprinkle the other half of the streusel. Cover that carefully with the remaining half of the batter. Smooth the top.

Put it in the oven on the middle rack. Check it at about 45 minutes. If the top is browning too quickly, cover it lightly with foil. Bake for about one hour total, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean (I like to check it with the toothpick in a few other spots too, just to be on the safe side).

Cool the cake in the pan for only ten minutes. Invert it onto a cooling rack to finish cooling. If you like, glaze the cake, but only after it is completely cooled.

For the glaze:

In a medium bowl, using about one and a half cups of sifted confectioners' sugar, stir in two to three tbsp. of heavy cream. Continue adding additional cream, just a teaspoon or so at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. Keep stirring until all lumps are removed and the glaze has achieved the texture you like. Want it thicker? Add more confectioners' sugar, a bit at a time. Flavor the glaze with almond extract or, if you prefer, with vanilla extract. Probably no more than 1/2 tsp. is needed at most, depending upon the strength of your extract and your own taste. Generously drizzle on the glaze, evenly all around, letting it drip down the sides of the cake.

Another glaze option is to add some cinnamon to the confectioners' sugar; mix the cinnamon into it really well before you add in the liquid. The piece of cake pictured just below has been glazed in this way and the very top of the cake was sprinkled with a tiny bit cinnamon sugar as an added garnish.

Now, before you slice the cake get out a really sharp knife. Why? Because the very top of your cake may have an especially firm toffee-like quality from the cooled caramelization of the brown sugar in that top streusel layer. It will seem especially hard and candy-like if you have not used nuts in the streusel. (The entire inside of the cake will be predictably perfect, tender, and soft though. Don't worry.) If you decide you don't like that hard aspect of the top crust, then alter your cake the next time you make it by distributing all of the streusel inside of the cake, with no streusel base-layer touching the bottom of the pan (thus no heavy carmelization will occur).

(I first saw this recipe on the McCormick Spice Company's website. I made a few minor adjustments to their formula, nothing major. What can I say about McCormick? That they have decent, affordable, everyday herbs and spices. And that's good because, let's face it, not every day can be a Penzey's day, right?)


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