Chewy Gluten Free Molasses Cookies

Step 1

In a large bowl, whisk the melted butter and both sugars together until pale and fluffy.

Step 2

Add the molasses, egg and egg yolk, and whisk until combined.

Step 3

Sift together the dry ingredients (gluten free flour, xanthan gum, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices), and add them to the butter-sugar mixture. Using a wooden spoon, mix it all together until you get a smooth, very soft and sticky dough. (The dough might even resemble batter, in that it flows off your spoon, rather than clumping together – that's okay.)

Step 4

Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour.

Step 5

While the dough is chilling, adjust the oven rack to the middle position, pre-heat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC) and line a baking sheet with greaseproof/baking paper.Tip: You will bake cookies in several batches, so you can line 2-3 baking sheets if you have them on hand. Otherwise, just re-use the same baking sheet, but make sure to cool it completely before you place the next batch of unbaked cookies onto it.

Step 6

Roll about 25g (1 ½ tablespoon) worth of the chilled cookie dough into a ball, roll it in granulated sugar so that it's fully covered, and place onto the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the rest of the cookie dough, this recipe makes 24 cookies in total.Make sure to leave about 1 ½ inch (4 cm) space around each cookie dough ball on the baking sheet, as the cookie will spread during baking. I typically bake no more than 6 cookies per baking sheet at a time.

Step 7

Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for 10-15 minutes, depending on whether you want the cookies to be chewy (shorter baking time) or crispy (longer baking time).Tip: Immediately out of the oven, tap the baking sheet on the counter to flatten the cookies slightly and give them the characteristic cracks/ripples. At this point, you can "correct" the shape of any irregular cookies using a round cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookies – just use it to gently nudge the cookie edges to get the desired round shape.

Step 8

Once baked, allow the cookies to cool completely on the baking sheet, as they are very soft right out of the oven.

Step 9

Storage: The chewy gluten free molasses cookies keep well in a closed container for about 1-2 weeks. Note that they will get softer and chewier the longer they're kept.