Wednesday, December 12, 2012

the great food blogger cookie swap 2012: soft molasses cookies

The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2012Getting Christmas cookies in the mail is enough to make any day bright. Swap cookies with food bloggers from across the country? Yes, please.

Unlike last year, this year's cookie swap required me to specify my newly discovered food intolerance: soy. Not only were my cookie swap matches soy-free - but they were also nut-free, gluten-free, and refined sugar-free. Whaaaat?

I diligently did my research, hit the health food store for specialty ingredients, and embarked on what felt more like a science experiment than baking. Being new to the specialty baking scene, I doubted that any cookies I made meeting these requirements would be tasty. Boy, was I wrong. These soft molasses cookies from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen were so delicious you would never know they met all these requirements. Even my dad approved these tasty treats.


Soft Molasses Cookies (from the Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen)

2 cups sorghum flour
½ cup tapioca flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons xanthan gum
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¾ cup organic palm shortening
1 cup Sucanat, coconut sugar, or brown sugar
½ cup blackstrap molasses (this is key)
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds



To start, make sure all of your ingredients are at room temperature; especially your applesauce.



In a medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together the sorghum flour, tapioca flour, baking soda, xanthan gum, sea salt, cinnamon, and ginger. 



In a separate mixing bowl, beat the palm shortening, sugar, and molasses together with an electric mixer. Add the applesauce, vanilla, and ground flax seeds; beat for another 60 seconds.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and beat together. Continue to beat for another minute or until the ingredients are well-combined and the dough thickens.



Cover bowl with a plate and chill dough in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a large cookie sheet.


Remove bowl from refrigerator and form dough into little balls with the palms of your hands. Place each ball on the greased cookie sheet spaced out by about 2 inches.



Bake for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool.



And what did I get in return? Absolutely delicious Maple Meringues from Sara @The Little Bite and drool-worthy  Double Chocolate Cranberry Noel Cookies from Sara @Pidge's Pantry. Thanks ladies!

12 comments:

  1. I loved these cookies! The warm spice was absolutely perfect - molasses cookies are the best :)

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    1. i'm so glad you like them. i was pleased with how they turned out!

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  2. Replies
    1. they did! i hope you make these - let me know what you think. thanks again for all of your help lady!

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  3. These look delicious Sara! :) I love the flavor of molasses in a cookie..:)

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  4. SO delicious! I am so glad I was one lucky recipient of these treats! Now I have to make them myself so I can have more! Thanks Sara!

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  5. Those look delicious! Molassess always screams this time of year to me and I think it's best eaten in a cookie

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  6. I tried one, then another and then another. I only had a few but they were so yummy!

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  7. I love molasses cookies--so chewy and yummy. These look perfect!

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  8. Oh these look phenomenal! I love the Whole Life website, it's fantastic. I took part in this exchange last year but no one was available to send me non-refined sweetened items. Maybe if I had signed up this year you and I would have been partners ;).

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  9. These look delicious! Molasses cookies are one of my favourite kinds of Christmas cookies. I'm actually planning on making a batch today!

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  10. Ginger molasses cookies are the best! Especially when they are all soft and amazing. You've got a winner there :)

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