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The Most Wonderful Time of the Year
It’s that time of year for Christmas cookies! Cookie exchanges, cookie decorating, full cookie jars almost daily; it’s certainly the most wonderful time of the year! If you’ve kept up with my blog thus far then you know how detrimental my sugar *monster* can be; if I eat too much refined sugar, I get headaches, my anxiety shoots up, and my ability to sleep goes out the window right along with my racing heart. You can read more about my journey with anxiety and trigger foods in this post, but, basically, I can’t be eating Christmas cookies every day. Sigh.
However, with this recipe, I can still enjoy a Christmas cookie…or two…or three, without all the side effects that come from refined sugar. These Molasses Cookies are refined sugar free, made with hearty whole wheat flour, sweet but not too sweet, and have all the warm Christmas-time spices; the texture is great, too: crunchy edges, slightly chewy, with a soft center. My friends and family, 22-month old included, loved these; my husband and dad could hardly stop eating them! I promise you won’t be disappointed in these cookies, but you may be disappointed by how quickly they’ll disappear.
Molasses Cookies
Makes 33 cookies.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of whole wheat flour
- 2 tsp of baking soda
- 1/2 tsp of salt
- 1.5 tsp of cinnamon, plus 1/2 tsp set aside
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 3/4 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1 cup coconut sugar, plus 1/4 cup set aside
- 1/2 cup room temperature coconut oil
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 cup of molasses (that is my favorite brand; dark, but not too strong tasting)
- 1 tsp of vanilla
Directions:
- Combine first 7 ingredients (flour through cloves) in a small mixing bowl
- Whisk until combined
- In a separate large bowl, beat together the coconut oil and coconut sugar until fluffy
- Add in eggs one at a time, combing well after each egg
- Add the molasses and vanilla, mix until combined
- Add the flour mixture in three parts, mixing well after each addition
- Place bowl with dough in the freezer for about 15 minutes, until dough is firm enough to handle
- While dough is freezing, heat oven to 350 F
- Prepare three baking sheets with non-stick spray or, my favorite baking tool, these silicone mats (which would make a great stocking stuffer 😉 )
- On parchment paper, combine 1/4 cup coconut sugar and 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- Once dough is firm, roll into tbsp sized balls, roll balls in cinnamon sugar mixture, and place on baking sheet 1 inch apart
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges are dark brown
- Let cool on sheet for 5 minutes, then transfer to cooling rack to let cool completely
- Store in covered container for up to a week
If you need a decadent hot coco to go along with your molasses cookies, check out my Death by Hot Chocolate for the ultimate chocolate fix, and for more cookies to stuff your cookie jar with, bake up a batch of my Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies, or bar cookies like Dark Chocolate Paleo Brownies or Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookie Bars. Let me know what your favorite seasonal cookie is! Keep those cookie jars full this season…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!
A Pinch of Crazy 