Molasses Crinkles 2018

I decided to repost this blog because of the current shortages of flour and other baking supplies. I have been adapting recipes for the past 40 years as I’ve learned about my own and my childrens food sensitivities. This blog has one of my recipes. I reallly like to make my own baking mix because of my sensitivites. This recipe is one of my family favorites.

The blustery days and dropping temperatures seem to inspire me to experiment with recipes.  I am also experimenting as I try to incorporate a new change in our food plan based on “The Plant Paradox” by Dr. Gundry.  I am once again having to redo my food plan as my doctor tries to help me deal with my food sensitivities. I am also working on cleaning out my pantry.

I saw a request on a Trim Healthy Mama Facebook group in which someone wanted to have a chewy cookie rather than a crunchy cookie.  I have been adapting recipes for years,  One of my favorite cookbooks is the “More With Less Cookbook” put out by the Mennonites. I really like the recipe for Molasses Crinkles but have chanaged it accommodate our food challenges. I also have adapted a “Master Mix” so that I have it ready for pancakes, cookies and quick breads.   A friend of mine did a workshop on making “Master Mixes”.  She said, “One mess, many meals.”

My baking experiments include using other flours. One of my favorites is to use two cups of oat flour with 2 cups of Fava and Garbonzo bean flours for Bobs Red Mill.  Unfortunately, that combo doesn’t work with the current food plan.

Mix  dry ingredients for the cookie mix

2 cups Coconut flour

2 cups of banana flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon of baking power

1 teaspoon of salt

I mix all the dry ingredients together in separate containers.

This is a practical learning opportunity for cihldren to measure and mix the ingredients. I like making math meaningful.  Cooking and baking are about as meaningful as it gets.  An additional benefit I have found is picky eaters will often eat something new that they make.

When you want to make molasses cookies:

Mix  well with a mixer. I have also let children mix it with a spoon.

½ cup olive oil

2 eggs or flaxseed meal substitute

1/4 cup of molasses

2 cups of sweetener of choice or equivalent

1 teaspoonful of vanilla extract

1/2 cup of apple sauce

Add to the dry mixture

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon of ground ginger

1 teaspoon of nutmeg

Some add 1 teaspoon of cloves. I omit this because my son is sensitive to cloves.

Or, you may decide to omit the molasses and spices and put in chocolate chips instead. I also like raisins with cinnamon as an option.

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Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients.  You may need to add a bit more flour depending on the consistency.  Refrigerate the mixture until stiff enough to form balls or to roll out.  I use this recipe for making gingerbread cookies too.

Roll the cookie balls in cinnamon sugar or plain sugar and place on a greased air bake cookie sheet or a stoneware baking sheet.  Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.

I find that with alternative flours, it is helpful to use a pancake turner to get them off of the cookie sheet so they don’t stick. I set them on cooling racks to cool. These are useful as a surface to leave cookies on that I am decorating.

If I bake them on stone ware, take them out as soon as the timer goes off and let the stoneware finish cooking them.

This results in soft and chewy cookies. It makes the house smell wonderful!  Yum!