When I was a child, I used to dream about visiting Disneyland. We had next door neighbors who shared a driveway with us, and they had travelled just about everywhere. They had decals from all the places that they had been to on the back windows of their station wagon to prove it.
I can remember standing on the driveway and respectfully admiring all of those decals, but the one which I admired most was the one from Disneyland, complete with its Magic Castle and Tinkerbell.
As an adult I still have not been to the Magic Kingdom, and I seriously doubt that I will ever visit it now. My days of riding on roller coasters and the like are far behind me.
That doesn't mean I cannot enjoy some of the tasty foods that people get to indulge in when they are there, however. I have a thing for copycat recipes, and I love cookies. When I saw this recipe for Molasses Crackle Cookies, said to be from the Magic Kingdom, I just HAD to try it out!
At first glance, the recipe appeared to be very similar to the Ginger Crinkle Cookie recipe that I used to bake for my children from the Better Homes & Gardens cookbook that I had when they were growing up. We all loved those cookies. The first tray of them out of the oven used to disappear into thin air. (I am not admitting anything!)
Upon closer inspection however, I noted one major difference. The recipe used vegetable oil instead of shortening. (I used light olive oil myself as that is the only vegetable oil I have in my house.) I have a lot of older recipes I don't cook anymore because they use shortening and I have pretty much banned it from my diet.
The method of putting them together was also slightly different, probably due to the use of oil in the batter. They did go together very quickly and easily.
The sugar coating on these is generous, giving them a lovely sparky crust when done. The flavors are spot on. I did decrease the cloves and added a bit of cardamom as I enjoy cardamom in any type of molasses bake. It goes wonderfully with the smoky warmth and sweetness of the molasses.
Altogether this was one really delicious cookie recipe. The majority of them were gifted to my church to give to the Father's in the branch on Father's Day. I did keep back a couple for myself to enjoy with a hot drink. Not quite as exciting as visiting the magic kingdom in person, but a whole lot cheaper, and I didn't have to wait in any lineups! 😁 Prepare to fall in love.
WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE MOLASSES CRACKLE COOKIES
Just a few simple store cupboard ingredients. Nothing more and nothing less.
- 1 cup (210g/237ml) light olive oil
- 2 1/4 cups (430g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup (115.5g/78ml) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBS baking soda (yes that is correct)
- 1 TBS ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 3 cups (375g) plain, all-purpose flour, unsifted
You could use any flavorless vegetable oil. I used light olive oil as it is the only oil I keep in the house aside from EVOO. You could use canola, grapeseed, etc.
Use regular table molasses, not black strap, or dark treacle (in the U.K.). Dark treacle and molasses are not the same thing. If you cannot get regular molasses and are in the U.K. mix together equal parts of dark and light treacle to give you the same amount of molasses needed.
You can leave out the ground cardamon if you wish and just replace it with an additional 1/4 tsp of cloves.
Large eggs here in North America would be considered medium eggs in the U.K.
Large eggs here in North America would be considered medium eggs in the U.K.
Do NOT use self-rising flour.
HOW TO MAKE MOLASSES CRACKLE COOKIES
These are a really simple make. They go together very quickly. The messiest part is rolling the dough into balls, but hands are a tool which is easily cleaned!
Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with some baking parchment. Set aside.
Measure out 1/2 cup (96g) of the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Put the remainder into a large bowl.
Add the oil to the sugar in the large bowl and cream the two really well together. Beat in the egg and the molasses until well combined.
Sift the flour together with the spices and the baking soda. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients a third at a time until all of the dry ingredients have been thoroughly amalgamated.
Scoop out the dough and roll into balls that are 2 inches in size. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar in the small bowl and set onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 2-inches in between each ball.
Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Store in an airtight container. These can also be frozen.
HINTS AND TIPS FOR MAKING GREAT COOKIES
1. Baking is an exact science, so you should take care when measuring ingredients. Flour should be spooned into the cup and then leveled off with the flat edge of a ruler or knife. The best way to measure is by weight as weights never change, whereas cups can vary quite a bit in size and measurements.
2. Have all of your ingredients at room temperature. This is especially important when it comes to creaming fats and sugars together. Using room temperature ingredients helps to incorporate more air into the dough. Also, if your eggs are at room temperature, they will incorporate better and whip up fluffier.
3. When creaming make sure the mixture is well creamed, light and fluffy and not granular in appearance. If the sugar has dissolved properly the mixture will not be granular. This is what you want.
4. Take care not to overmix your dough as this will toughen your cookies. Once you start to add the flour/dry ingredients, only mix until well combined and no dry streaks remain.
5. Preheat your oven to the correct temperature before beginning.
6. Use cold baking sheets and allow them to cool back down in between batches.
7. Leave plenty of space between your cookies as you place them on the baking sheet. Do NOT crowd them. This will allow for air to circulate properly between them. Anywhere from 2 inches to 3 inches depending on the cookie spread is recommended.
8. Use only the freshest of ingredients for the best flavor and level of success. Old out of date ingredients taste stale and nasty. Out of date baking powder and soda will not give you a good rise. I always break my eggs into a separate bowl before adding just to make sure they are okay. You can check the fizz of baking powder and soda by adding a bit to warm water first.
These were really gorgeous cookies and oh-so-tasty! Even four days later. I loved the warmth of the spices in them and the crunch of the sugar coating on the outside.
Fabulous served with a cold glass of milk, or a bowl of vanilla ice cream. Ideal with a hot cup of tea for dunking. These also freeze very well. Pack into an airtight container with some baking paper in between the layers for up to three months!
Are you as much of a cookie monster as I am? If so, I think I also might be able to tempt you with the following delicious cookie recipes!
MAPLE PECAN COOKIES - Pure Maple Syrup pairs up with a generous amount of toasted pecan nuts in these delicious cookies! These are a cookie with nice crisp edges and chewy middles. The toasted nuts add a delightful crunch. Glazed with a cream cheese drizzle glaze that is entirely optional, these always go down a real treat!
LEMON CURD COOKIES - These might well be one of my all-time favorite cookies! These lush and buttery shortbread cookies are flavored through and through with lemon from the inside out. Crispy edged and dimpled with lemon curd centers, they are real lemon winners! They are drizzled with a lemon drizzle glaze for even more lemon flavor! The perfect teatime cookie! As pretty as they are delicious!
Yield: 30 sugar crusted cookies
Magic Kingdom Molasses Crackles
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 12 MinInactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 32 Min
Sweet sugar crusted cookies made with wonderfully warm baking spices and the smoky sweetness of molasses. Its nigh on impossible to eat just one!
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 1 cup (210g/237ml) light olive oil
- 2 1/4 cups (430g) granulated sugar, divided
- 1/3 cup (115.5g/78ml) molasses
- 1 large egg
- 1 TBS baking soda (yes that is correct)
- 1 TBS ground ginger
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 tsp ground cardamom
- 3 cups (375g) plain, all-purpose flour, unsifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/ gas mark 4. Line two large baking sheets with some baking parchment. Set aside.
- Measure out 1/2 cup (96g) of the sugar into a small bowl and set aside. Put the remainder into a large bowl.
- Add the oil to the sugar in the large bowl and cream the two really well together. Beat in the egg and the molasses until well combined.
- Sift the flour together with the spices and the baking soda. Add this mixture to the wet ingredients a third at a time until all of the dry ingredients have been thoroughly amalgamated.
- Scoop out the dough and roll into balls that are 2 inches in size. Roll the balls in the granulated sugar in the small bowl and set onto the baking sheets, leaving at least 2-inches in between each ball.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown.
- Leave to cool on the baking sheets for 5 minutes before scooping off onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- Store in an airtight container. These can also be frozen.
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