Orange Molasses Cookies
Submitted by lovingfruits
Orange molasses cookies, soft and puffy with cracked tops, spiced with ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and a hit of black pepper, then rolled in orange sugar. Whole wheat flour and oats make them a wholesome holiday bake.
YIELD
40 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
30 minREADY
90 minMolasses cookies get a citrus glow-up here. Fresh orange zest goes into the dough and into the sugar you roll them in, so each soft, cracked-top cookie carries a bright orange perfume against the deep, dark molasses.
The spice cabinet gets a real workout: cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and a quiet pinch of black pepper that sharpens the whole blend without reading as heat.
What sets these apart from the usual holiday cookie is the base. Rolled oats are ground to a fine powder and combined with whole wheat flour, giving the cookies extra fiber and a tender, slightly hearty chew, while unsweetened applesauce keeps them moist with less butter.
The trick to that bakery-style look is pulling them while the centers are still soft and puffy, since they set as they cool.
Chef Tips
- Pulse the orange zest into the rolling sugar so the citrus oils perfume every coated cookie.
- Brush off the excess rolling sugar; the zest makes it clump, and you want just a thin, sparkly coat.
- Pull them when the tops are cracked but the centers still look soft, about 10 minutes, for a chewy bite.
- Let them rest on the sheet 10 minutes before moving, because they’re delicate while hot.
Variations
- Swap orange zest for lemon, or add a little candied ginger to the dough.
- Use light molasses for a milder flavor, dark for deeper, bolder cookies.
- Drizzle the cooled cookies with an orange glaze for extra citrus punch.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a baking mat or coat with cooking spray.
For the rolling sugar:
Pulse ½ cup sugar and 1 tablespoon orange zest in a food processor until well blended.
Trasfer in a shallow dish and set aside.
For the cookie dough:
Grind oats in a blender until they look like a fine powder, about 2 minutes, scraping the sides as needed.
Beat butter and ⅓ cup sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 4 to 6 minutes.
Add brown sugar and 2 tablespoons orange zest and beat another 2 minutes.
Add molasses, applesauce, egg yolk, vanilla, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, pepper and salt; beat on medium-high until incorporated, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl and beaters as needed.
Turn the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the ground oats.
Scrape down the bowl, with the mixer on medium, slowly add whole wheat flour. (The dough will be moderately sticky.)
Using a slightly rounded tablespoon of dough, roll into balls, then roll in the rolling sugar to coat. (If necessary, wet your fingers to help roll without sticking.)
The zest will make the mixture slightly wet and it will clump, lightly brush off the excess so that just a thin coat is on the cookie.
Arrange cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheet.
Make about 40 cookies.
Bake the cookies in batches until the edges are set and the tops are cracked, but the centers are still soft and puffy, about 10 minutes.
Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.
Store in an air-tight container or freeze them for up to 3 months.
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