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.

‘The great white pear-tree dropped with dew from leaves
And blossom, under heavens of happy blue.’
- Jean Ingelow (Songs with Preludes-Wedlock)

The only credit I can take for this week’s post is for the photograph you see above. My fabulous friend, Anne Casselman, made this tart for us to share as we caught up and enjoyed our ‘tea date’. She had acquired the recipe from her neighbour Sheila Jones, who also happens to be an aspiring cookbook writer. Coming in out of the rain yesterday afternoon to be received by this dessert’s wafting aroma was sublime….. and just wait until you taste it. Pears are still in season, folks. Besides, this dessert is easy to make and sure to impress. Try it, I dare you.

Anne’s Thin Pear Tart

Dough:

2 oz cream cheese
2 oz unsalted butter, softened
1/2 c all purpose flour
4 T sugar
1/8 t salt

Preheat oven to 400*, with the rack placed in the centre. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Combine cream cheese and butter in a food processor. Add flour, sugar and salt. Process until combined. Turn dough out onto prepared cookie sheet. With lightly floured fingers, pat dough out into a flat 8″ circle.

Filling:

1 Bosc or Red Bartlett pear
1 T brandy (Anne used port instead- just as good)
1 T freshly squeezed lemon juice
3 T crumbled blue cheese
1/8 t ground cinnamon
2 T sugar + 1 1/2 T for sprinkles

In a medium bowl, combine 2 T sugar, lemon juice and brandy. Halve pear lengthwise. Core, leaving the skin on. Cut lengthwise into 1/4″ thick slices. Transfer the pears to the lemon juice mixture and coat well (but gently). Lift pears from the liquid and arrange lengthwise around the border of the dough, overlapping slightly. Arrange remaining slices in centre.

Sprinkle tart with crumbled blue cheese, then with remaining 1 1/2 T sugar. Lastly, sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake 25-30 minutes, until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature- alone, or with whipped cream. Yum!

…..and it also stands for ‘Phil’, who just so happened to be the recipient of this very pie. His birthday had quietly passed the week before; quietly because he had told no one at the time, claiming to have forgotten. Fast forward to the following week- though it seemed an unusual gift, I somehow got it into my head that a home baked apple pie, combined with a hand made birthday card, would make for a nice belated birthday present. It had probably been about a quarter of a century (maybe more) since I had made a real-from-scratch apple pie. As a kid I used to make a version from my mom’s ‘Joy of Cooking’ (by Irma S. Rombauer + Marion Rombauer Becker). According to my recollection, it had provided consistently outstanding results. I remember my dad happily tucking into a slice, enjoying it still warm from the oven and accompanied with a thick slice of (orange) cheddar cheese.

I found this version online. Though I like most of the quantities, its method is far more complicated and time consuming than is necessary to make a darned good pie. Also, the temperature was too hot for too long. The ‘Joy of Cooking’ instructions are far more reasonable and far more practical for those of us who are interested in baking something, but who would also still like to have a life. One thing that neither recipe mentions is to cut the fat in half, before incorporating it into the flour. In ‘Home-Ec’ we were taught to cut the first half of the butter into the flour until it formed a fine meal. The fine meal would create ’short gluten strands’ which would result in a tender pastry. The second half of the butter was to be cut into the dough only until it formed a much courser meal, almost like small peas. The larger meal would create ‘long gluten strands’, resulting in flakiness. I do recommend this technique when making pastry. It really does result in a pie crust that is both tender and flaky. This pie really is quite straight forward to make, and the results certainly outweigh the effort. I look forward to making this recipe again soon, even if it isn’t someone’s birthday.

Phil’s Birthday Apple Pie
Adapted from ‘The Joy of Cooking’ and ‘The Joy of Baking‘
(Makes one 9″ Pie)

Crust:

2 c all-purpose flour, sifted and then measured
1 t salt
1/4 c ice water
2/3 c butter, cut into cubes and chilled

Place the flour in a large bowl. Stir in the salt. Using a fork + a knife, cut in half the cold butter, until a fine meal is formed. Cut in the second half of the butter, until a ‘pea-size’ meal is formed. Drizzle in the water and stir, just until combined. Pour dough out onto a lightly floured board. Fold dough into a ball, handling as little as possible. Cover dough with saran wrap and chill in the fridge for one hour.

Apple Filling:

2 1/2 pounds apples (about 5 medium-large), peeled, cored, and sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
3/4 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t ground nutmeg
1/4 t salt
2 T butter
2 T flour
1 t lemon juice
zest of ½ lemon
1 t vanilla
2 T butter, cut into small pieces

In a small bowl combine sugars, spices, salt and flour. In another small bowl, combine lemon juice, zest and vanilla. Place apples in a large bowl. Sprinkle with lemon juice mixture and stir. Next sprinkle on dry ingredients, stirring to combine.

Assembly:

Preheat oven to 450* and place the rack @ medium height. After the dough has chilled, unwrap it and cut it in half. Replace the second half of the dough to the fridge, and place the first half on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 12 “ circle. Line a 9″ pie plate w. the pastry. Fill with the apple mixture, dot with the 2 T of butter pieces. Roll out 2nd half of pastry. Cover pie. Trim and shape edges. Cut vents or poke holes with a fork. Brush w. milk. Put pie on a baking sheet (to avoid a mess in the oven). Bake pie @ 450* for 10 minutes, then turn heat down to 350*. Bake for another 45 minutes. ***Check at 30 minutes, to see if edges are burning and need to be covered with tin foil. This pie is best served when still warm….. with a thoughtful side of vanilla ice-cream or fresh whipped whipped cream.