Blackstrap and Arrowroot Cookies

[chasingtides]

Molasses cookies define winter for me. They are tasty and warm and chewy and spicy. There is nothing on a cold winter's day (or night) like a hot molasses cookie. They have a distinctive taste and smell, one that reminds me of childhood.

I call for blackstrap molasses in this recipe for it's special taste. It also has more nutritional content and a richer texture than other, lighter molasses.

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1 cup milk
2 teaspoon arrowroot powder
1 egg, beaten
2/3 cup of oil (olive)
2/3 cup of blackstrap molasses
3.5 cups of flour
1 ground clove
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons ginger
2 teaspoons allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon orange zest

Mix arrowroot in with milk. (If you don't have arrowroot, you can substitute 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Be sure to stir out any lumps.) Add egg to the milk mixture. Add oil. And molasses. Mix thoroughly.

Mix spices and four in separate bowl.

Slowly add flour mixture to milk mixture. Stir thoroughly.

Spoon onto greased cookie sheets. Bake 10 minutes at 350 F for ten minutes or until done.

*

I like this quite a bit (and they're almost have gone, 10 minutes out of the oven, so they're pretty popular), but next time I will be heavier on the spices as the blackstrap molasses overwhelms them.

Comments

[crimsonkitty88.livejournal.com]

mmmmmmmm. sounds delish.

[margarita-queen.livejournal.com]

That sounds so good! And quite... homey. :)

[erickripke.livejournal.com]

arrowroot powder is something i've never heard of before. but i do want to try these cookies out.

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

You can find it in with the spices at the grocery store or in larger packages at health food stores. I first started using it when I began to play with making gumbos, about 10 or 12 years ago, and I tend to use it in soups and custards and in anything that needs thickening. It helps keep these cookies chewy.

[skye-princess.livejournal.com]

Yummmm....this will be my new cooking project.

[rugbybaby.livejournal.com]

This looks so yummy. Thanks for posting it and for pointing out how/where to find the arrowroot powder.

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

Arrowroot is pretty awesome. It's a tasteless, colorless, and odorless thickener and also pretty hypoallergenic (ie, no gluten, milk, or nuts involved). (When I looked around online to see if there were any good links to provide you guys, I also discovered that some health food circles suggest that it helps aid digestion. IDK.)

[rugbybaby.livejournal.com]

Aww Kaylee. Also good Lord, all of that sounds fantastic. I ought to check out what other recipes call for it.

[chasingtides.livejournal.com]

I just use it to replace corn starch and flour when the recipes call for them to be used as thickeners. But this could jump start your search.

I like my chicken soup fairly thin, but I add arrowroot to stews, chowders, and gumbos for that desired texture that differentiates them from soups (especially as most of my chowders are made with Lactaid milk and thus, no cream to thicken - though this might also be a good option for dieters.)

[rugbybaby.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the link! And oh, the idea of using something like that for heavier soups and chowders is perfect. I will definitely experiment with that soon and see how it goes. Thanks for pointing that out.