While Leigh was visiting and enjoying some macarons, we made some cookies. Because that’s what you do when somebody visits from across the ocean, right? I mean, it was after Thanksgiving, which is bake-every-day-until-January-First season. Off we go then!
There are so many options for cookies to make, especially with all the blog posts with very tasty-looking cookie concepts that float around this time of year. But inspiration soon struck. Since Leigh went to the University of Tennessee for her undergrad degree, and since I was planning to dump these on somebody who works for the Tennessee Valley Authority during my trip to Atlanta, it seemed something southern was in order.
Something southern like soft molasses cookies.
For you fellow Yankees, soft molasses cookies taste a lot like gingerbread, but are, well, soft. Since I like the taste of gingerbread but dislike hard or crunchy cookies, these are perfect.
Especially when you add some chocolate bits.
Ingredients for Soft Molasses Cookies with Chocolate Bits (As inspired by Betty Crocker's Cookie Book)
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
¾ cup sour cream
½ cup dark molasses
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cup flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon nutmeg
10 ounces finely chopped dark chocolate (Callebaut 54.5% cocoa semi-sweet)
Begin by whisking together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg in a bowl, set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add the sour cream, then the molasses, then the egg, and finally the vanilla, fully incorporating each ingredient before adding the next. Mix in dry ingredients at low speed until just incorporated.
Some tasty-looking cookie dough, right? Now mix in your chocolate bits to make it even better. Drop the dough into 1-to-1 ½ tablespoon chunks on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
Pop the sheet into an oven preheated to 375° F for 10 minutes, and get ready to enjoy a cookie perfect for Tennesseans come winter holiday season.
Leigh concurred that these were good. So did my colleague from TVA. Not a bad stab at Southern food for a Yankee, if I don’t say so myself.
Do you bake things that aren't traditional in the region where you grew up? How do they turn out?
Those look soooooo tasty!!!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteIn non-dessert related southern food,chicken and dumplings are soooooooo good!!!!!! oooh and memphis bar be que!! =D
@fitchocoholicI agree, BBQ is tasty - do you like to make chicken and dumplings? There must be some great recipes out there.
ReplyDeleteOh gosh... bookmarked! In recent months I've become obsessed with molasses, using it all over the place instead of honey and maple syrup. Add spices and chocolate? Amazing :)
ReplyDeleteAnd they are so soft, too. Nice and easy to make, just some simple drop cookies.
ReplyDeleteI also prefer soft cookies, so these sound great! I think I've only used molasses a couple times. As far as regional stuff, I baked some NZ cookies last summer, which were fun. That really was the original intent of my blog...to make foreign things. :P
ReplyDelete@Jessica @ bake me away! True story: The first time I read your blog, I thought you were from Australia. I don't know why.
ReplyDelete@Victoria (The District Chocoholic) THIS IS AWESOME.
ReplyDelete