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Sorghum molasses cookies
Chewy crackle-top spice cookies from the Kentucky hills
Every autumn, small farms across Kentucky and Tennessee still press sorghum cane and boil the juice into a thin, tangy syrup, and these soft spice cookies are how many mountain families use it at Christmas. Rolled in sugar, they bake with crackled tops and chewy middles, tasting of ginger and that distinctive earthy sweetness. Molasses works if you can't find sorghum. Chef's tip: chill the dough so the balls hold their shape and crack rather than spreading flat.
- Total time
- 32 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 24
Ingredients
- 6 oz buttersoft
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 egg
- 10 oz plain flour
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 1 ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 ¾ oz sugarfor rolling
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Beat the 6 oz butter and 5 ½ oz sugar until fluffy, then beat in the 1 egg and ¼ cup sorghum syrup or molasses.
4 minStep 2: Mix in the 10 oz plain flour, 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 1 ½ tsp ground ginger, 1 tsp ground cinnamon, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ¼ tsp salt. Chill the dough for 1 hour.
62 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan) and line two trays. Roll the dough into 3 cm balls and roll them in the 1 ¾ oz sugar.
10 minStep 4: Bake 6 cm apart for 10–12 minutes, until puffed and cracked but still soft in the middle. A common mistake is baking until firm; they harden as they cool.
12 minStep 5: Cool 5 minutes on the tray, then move to a rack.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 130 kcal
- Protein
- 1 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 5 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sorghum molasses cookies take?
- About 32 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 12 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 24 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
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