The beauty of these cookies is that they are simultaneously crunchy and soft, which equals the perfect texture for just about any cookie.
Plus, they are loaded with seasonal spices, making them the ideal way to say, “I love you” during the holidays and the cold winter months that are to persist until the dawning of spring.
These cookies are so fantastic, you’ll love them.
Ingredients:
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
¼ cup backstrap molasses
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2/3 cup + ½ cup tapioca flour
½ cup sorghum flour
½ cup cornstarch
¼ cup gluteneous rice flour
2 ½ teaspoons guar gum
¾ teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cardamom
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to a mild 325°F and line two half-sheet pans with either parchment paper or silpats. I got the best results using silpats. If using parchment, just make sure that the cookie sheets stay on the middle tier of the oven.
In a heavy bottomed 4-quart pan melt the diced butter over low heat. Remove from the heat just as the last vestiges of the butter-fat solids are visible.
Add the freshly grated ginger to infuse the butter. Allow to sit for 10 minutes and then whisk in the 1 cup of granulated sugar and the molasses until smooth. Now whisk in the two eggs and work the mixture until smooth as fine wet concrete.
In a separate bowl, combine the remaining dry ingredients and whisk several times to evenly distribute the spices. Gradually sprinkle the dry ingredients over the melted butter mixture and fold them in with your favorite wooden spoon. The dough should be thick and move like plasticity: somewhere between a liquid and a solid. Leave the dough in the pan and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before baking. You can refrigerate overnight, but if you choose to do so, make sure you cover the dough after the two hour period to avoid a “crusting” of the dough which means the outer-most layer will dry out and harden.
After the dough has rested for two hours, pour the remaining ½ cup of granulated sugar in a 9” pie or cake pan. Now spoon out tablespoon-sized balls of the dough, rolling between the palms of your hands until they resemble wooden marbles. Roll the balls in the sugar, being sure to evenly coat them.
Arrange the balls of dough onto your cookie sheet with at least 1 ½” between them as they will spread during the baking process. Bake for 8 minutes at 325°F; over-baking will cause the cookies to be overly crisp.
Makes 3 dozen cookies.
These cookies keep very well in an airtight container for up to two weeks.