I've recently become hooked onto the blog, Sally's Baking Addiction. I've tried several of her recipes with great success. And who doesn't like succeeding? She definitely was not kidding when she said these were going to turn out soft. As the last couple of weeks of school before Christmas break approach, I find my motivation dwindling away. And I procrastinate. A lot. On the last day, I brought these cookies to school. I baked them the night before, at around 10 pm.
Pssssst. Let me let you in on a little secret. I thought these were going to fail. I accidentally added 1/3 cup of extra sugar- the 1/3 cup that was reserved for rolling the balls of dough in. So I freaked. It was late at night, and I really, really didn't want them to flop. Especially since I promised to bring them in to my government class. So I decided to balance the sugar out by making extra dough. I made an additional 1/2 the quantity of the original recipe- this time, without sugar and blended the two mixtures together. This is when my advanced math class really came in handy… I still thought they weren't going to turn out because I whipped up the the second portion rather rapidly. And to my great satisfaction, they were far superior than I expected them to be.
So 11:30, when I was finally done with baking and drizzling, I was ready to go to bed, my teeth were brushed. One of my pet peeves: I cannot go to sleep without brushing my teeth- for a good 5 minutes of so. What can I say? I like that minty flavour in my mouth. I simply could not resist the cookies, and I took bite after decadent bite. Having to brush my teeth again was totally worth it. They were super, super soft, light and full of flavor. To be honest, I can't imagine these without the caramel. They go hand in hand- a package deal.
Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. Line two baking trays with parchment paper (or just one, and then bake the cookies in two intervals).
In a bowl, combine the flour, spices, baking soda and salt- then set aside.
In another bowl, cream together the butter and sugar (or sugars).
When light and fluffy, add in the egg, vanilla and molasses until incorporated.
Fold in the flour in three batches. The dough should be quite thick.
Cover the bowl tightly with cling wrap and refrigerate for an hour.
Roll 2 tbsp sized balls in your fingers, then coat in 1/3 cup of sugar.
Bake cookies (2 inches apart) for exactly 8 minutes.
After 8 minutes, take the cookies out of the oven and gently press down with the back of a spoon or fork.
Put the cookies back into the oven for one more minute.
Cool completely, then transfer to a wire rack.
Place the caramel sauce in a piping bag and drizzle over the cookies. Enjoy!
they look yummy! love the drizzle.