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Galettes à la mélasse
Soft molasses cookies
Soft Quebec molasses cookies
Quebec grandmothers bake galettes à la mélasse by the batch for lunchboxes and the cookie jar, and they turn up at sugar-shack weekends and church sales from Gaspé to Gatineau. Unlike crisp gingersnaps, they are big, soft and cakey, almost like little gingerbread cakes, dark with molasses and warm with ginger, cinnamon and clove. Kids eat them with a tall glass of cold milk; adults like them with tea. The dough is soft, so you drop it from a spoon rather than rolling it. Chef's tip: take them out when the centres still look slightly underdone; overbaking by even two minutes is what turns them dry and hard, while slightly underbaked ones stay soft for days.
- Total time
- 32 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 12
Ingredients
For the cookies
- 4 oz unsalted buttersoftened
- 3 ½ oz light brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 9 oz molassesfancy (mild) molasses, not blackstrap
- ½ cup hot water
- 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 16 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
To finish
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar (optional)
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays with baking paper.
Step 2: Beat 4 oz unsalted butter and 3 ½ oz light brown sugar until fluffy, then beat in 1 egg and 9 oz molasses.
3 minStep 3: Stir 1 ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda into ½ cup hot water in a jug; it will fizz. Beat it into the molasses mixture.
1 minStep 4: Mix 16 oz plain flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ½ tsp salt, and stir into the wet mixture to a thick, soft batter-dough. Rest for 10 minutes so it firms slightly.
10 minStep 5: Drop heaped tablespoons onto the trays, 6 cm apart, about 24 cookies. Sprinkle with 2 tbsp granulated sugar if you like.
Step 6: Bake one tray at a time for 10–12 minutes, until the cookies have puffed, the edges are set and the tops spring back when pressed but still look a little soft in the middle.
11 minStep 7: Cool on the tray for 5 minutes, then on a rack. Store in a tin with a slice of bread to keep them soft, for up to a week.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 4 g
- Carbs
- 53 g
- Fat
- 9 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does galettes à la mélasse take?
- About 32 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 12 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of light brown sugar?
- White sugar + 1 tsp honey or golden syrup per 100g.
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