Honey and Molasses Cookies

First, the recipe.

Now, you probably already know that I love honey. And anything to do with honey. I did name my blog after a two thousand year old poem about honey.

Unfortunately, everyone around me seems to love ginger. I don’t have anything against ginger in particular, except the taste and the texture and the strength of the flavour … okay so I admit I don’t particularly like it. It’s good in cookies, I’ll give it that.

This recipe was originally a Cape Cod Soft Molasses Cookies recipe from King Arthur Flour, and it’s truly a fantastic recipe, despite the amount of ginger. You should absolutely make them.

If you want something a bit less in-your-face, and with a little bit more depth to the flavour, then try my version.

The honey actually manages to come through; the molasses gives it that base of rich flavour. The oats help the dough with all that moisture and provide texture. The vanilla  just adds to the layers of flavour that make up this delicious treat.

I experimented with this recipe quite a bit before I decided on these flavours. Sea salt caramel works very well, although I’m not sure I would still use honey in that mix. Don’t use coffee grinds. I don’t know … it was late at night. I should have known it was a bad idea. You could probably use brewed coffee though, or more espresso powder. The vanilla yogurt was fine. It makes a very wet dough, but the end result was perfectly edible. I used Siggi’s, if you’re wondering. It’s that really thick Icelandic yogurt, which probably worked better than if I’d used anything thinner.

One note about flavour: whatever you do, do not put in too much cardamom.

Rolling the dough in granulated sugar before baking makes a beautiful crispy crust over the outside. You would never guess from looking at them that the inside would be as light and fluffy as it is. There’s a video on my Instagram (link at top of page) of the cookie being pulled apart just after it was baked.

The original recipe said to bake for 8-14 minutes, and leave to cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes after while they’re still cooking. The extra liquid in these cookies, however, requires a slightly longer baking time, roughly 12-17 minutes, depending on your oven. My parent’s oven makes beautiful, soft, airy cookies in no time at all. My oven produces sludge.

I’m really proud of my photography on this one. I am by no means a professional, and photography was and is the most daunting part of this blog. Maybe someday I’ll post some of my funnier mistakes in this department.

Now the honey specifically that I used was coffee blossom honey, which my boyfriend bought from Brandywine Coffee Roasters, who have some of the coolest coffee bags I’ve ever seen. I didn’t even know coffee blossom honey was a thing, although it seems pretty obvious to me now that any plant producing seeds would also produce flowers, and that those flowers would attract bees. Anyway, the honey is quite nice. It still has some of that rough honey flavour with the sweetness of coffee riding on top of that.

I should also add that the last ingredient, espresso powder, is not for the flavour of the espresso – you won’t be able to taste it, unless you exchange rum for coffee extract or something similar. It’s used more to bring out the other flavours.

Another shoutout to my mother for the bowl in which these sit.

One disclaimer: while you’ll find measurements in volume in the recipe, I’ve also included measurements in grams. Generally speaking, grams are a more accurate unit of measurement and are easier to use (you can just keep adding everything to the same bowl and don’t have to wash every measuring cup you have), although you do need a kitchen scale, which can be bought at any kitchen store (or amazon) for $10-20. You can even find one that looks like a lemon on King Arthur’s website.

Honey and Molasses Cookies

Prep: 10 minutes
Bake: 10-15 minutes
Makes: 30 cookies

Ingredients:
170g (¾ cup) unsalted butter (softened)
198g (1 cup) granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling)
½ tsp salt
2 tsp baking soda
1 egg
2 tbsp honey
113g (⅓ cup) molasses
2 tsp vanilla extract (or coffee extract or a sea salt caramel spread)
299g (2 ½ cup) flour
32g (⅓ cup) traditional/old fashioned oats
½ tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp espresso powder

Method:
1. Grease a baking sheet and set oven to 350º F.
2. Cream butter, sugar, salt, and baking soda together.
3. Mix in egg, then add honey, molasses, vanilla, flour, and oats. Mix to combine.
4. Add remaining ingredients. Mix to combine.
5. Place mixture in fridge for 10 minutes before trying to roll.
6. Using a tablespoon (or regular spoon) for sizing, roll scoops of dough into balls and roll
the balls in a small bowl of granulated sugar.
7. Place the dough balls on the baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, depending on
your oven and how soft or crispy you want your cookies to be.
8. Cool on baking sheet before transferring to wire rack