Chewy Molasses Cookies

Is it too late for a Christmas cookie?

If it is, I understand.  I hope you'll consider this as you're choosing a Boxing Day, New Year's Eve, or random January afternoon cookie.  Chewy grain-free molasses cookies work anytime.

Normally I don't love cookies unless there's chocolate or caramel involved, but I've made an exception here.  There's something about the rich flavor of molasses in a chewy cookie with a hint of crunch from a coating of sparkling sugar that I can really get into.

I'm writing this post in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where I'm spending Christmas with my boyfriend's fiancé's (!!) family. Ben and I got engaged on Sunday, and I'm super excited. This blog post is my first opportunity to use the word "fiancé" since I haven't had to introduce him to anyone since it happened. I was so thrilled that he proposed, because I had been hinting that I was ready to get engaged but hadn't expected it to happen so soon. I love Ben's family almost as much as I love him, and especially enjoy playing with his three adorable nieces, so this whole thing is a pretty great deal for me.

Anyway, on to the cookies!  I hope you have a chance to whip these up as a last-minute holiday treat.

Chewy Molasses Cookies
Yield: About 40 cookies
Prep time: 10 minutes, plus 45 minutes chilling time
Bake time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter
3/4 cup raw sugar or coconut sugar
1/2 cup molasses
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 large eggs
3 cups lightly packed almond flour
1 1/2 cups tapioca flour
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

Raw sugar, for rolling

Cream the butter and sugar with a stand or handheld mixer until well combined.  Beat in the molasses, vanilla, and eggs.

Whisk together the almond flour, tapioca flour, spices, salt, baking soda, and cream of tartar in a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.

Place the bowl of dough in the freezer for 45 minutes, or until firm enough to form into balls.  Preheat the oven to 350 and line one or more baking sheets with parchment.  Put about half a cup of raw sugar in a shallow bowl for rolling the cookies.

Using a greased teaspoon measure or cookie scoop, form a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball.  Roll the ball in the sugar to coat it completely, and place it on the baking sheet.  Keep forming balls of dough, and place them 1 1/2 inches apart on the baking sheet.  If the dough becomes difficult to work with, place it back in the freezer for a few minutes.

Bake for 9-12 minutes, until the cookies are no longer puffy in the middle.  Cool for five minutes on the pan, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.

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