Orange Spice Molasses Cookies
Orange Zest Infused Rolling Sugar
I stumbled upon this recipe last week, when leafing through the November issue of Eating Well Magazine. In it they shared six winning heirloom cookie recipes which had beaten out literally hundreds of other submissions. As the magazine’s recipe kitchen had tested these entries, I felt confident giving this one a whirl. What appealed to me most was that it seems to walk that fine line, incorporating flavour (I’m a huge fan of adding citrus zest to just about anything), texture and healthy ingredients. They also happen to be pretty good looking- for a cookie, that is. The granulated orange sugar coating provides a certain sparkalicious bling that really ups the festive factor. This recipe was submitted to the magazine by Shyla Huber of Springfield, Oregon. In turn, she had found it in her local paper and had made it her own by modifying the ingredients list to include healthier options. These little gems baked up beautifully- moist and flavourful. I will definitely be making another batch this season.
Orange Spice Molasses Cookies
(Recipe by Shyla Huber)
Rolling Sugar:
1/2 c granulated sugar
1 T freshly grated orange zest
Pulse sugar and orange zest in a food processor until well combined. Place in a shallow dish and set aside.
Cookie Dough
1 1/2 c rolled oats
1/4 c + 1 T unsalted butter, softened
1/3 c granulated sugar
1/3 c packed dark brown sugar
2 T fresh grated orange zest
1/2 c light or dark molasses
1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
1 large egg yolk
1 t vanilla extract
1 t baking soda
1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
1 1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground allspice
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t salt
2 1/4 c whole-wheat flour
Preheat oven to 375*. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Grind oats in food processor until they look like a fine powder, 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
Beat the butter and 1/3 c granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium high speed for 5 minutes. Add brown sugar and 2 T orange zest and beat for another 2 minutes. Add molasses, apple sauce, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, all spice, pepper and salt. Beat on medium-high speed until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping the sides of the bowl, as needed. Turn the mixer to medium and slowly add the ground oats. Turn off the mixer and remove the beaters. Using a wooden spoon, slowly mix in the whole-wheat flour, a bit at a time, until it is well incorporated and forms a moderately sticky dough.
Scoop the dough, 1 T at a time, and form into balls by rolling in your hands (about 1″ across). Then roll the balls in the sugar to coat. Place the balls on the cookie sheet, about 1″ apart. Bake the cookies in batches until the edges are set and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 8 minutes. Then move cookies onto a cooling rack.
Makes about 40 cookies.
