Ginger molasses cookies

Ok, first off the bat, let me tell you how good these cookies are!  Then, I'll get to the rest of the info.  These cookies are the perfect amount of ginger and crisp edges/chewy centers and sugary coating!  I'm not going to lie, I ate 3 of them straight out of the oven last night when I was baking them.  They're that good!

These cookies come from the genius Sarah Kieffer of the Vanilla Bean Blog.  I want to say I came across her years ago through an article (I think in the New York Times) about her "pan banging method" for chocolate chip cookies (I  made them, they're worth the hype, and if I haven't posted that yet, I'll be sure to back track and get that up soon), and later again through an email with a link to her Neapolitan cookies.  I also own her cookbook, 100 cookies.  She's a baking genius, if you want my unbiased opinion, and I'm sure you'll be seeing a lot of her recipes in the future here on JulieBakes.

These cookies also involve her "pan banging" technique, which gives the cookies a crispy edge and a chewy center.  They're probably not the best cookie to bake at 9:30 p.m. in a 2 bedroom apartment with a sleeping 5.5 month old, 2.5 year old, and guest on the couch -- oops! -- but at least the guest got some of these cookies fresh out of the oven when she woke from her nap.

I plan to include these in my yearly box of cookies for the holidays for our doormen*.  It's been a trying year, for sure, and they've been fielding the majority of my "I can buy it on Amazon" mentality of the pandemic (* yes, they're also getting a monetary tip, I just think cookies plus a tip is just a nice way to do things).

Pan-Banging Ginger Molasses Cookies

By Sarah Kieffer, Vanilla Bean Blog

* The holiday version calls for a glaze.  Truth be told, I haven't tried the glaze, because the cookies are so damn good on their own they don't need anything more, but if you want yours to look festive or you'd like glaze, click on the link above for directions and ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp + 1/8 tsp salt

2 tsp ground ginger

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Pinch of cloves (I leave this out, as I don't like cloves)

12 Tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus more for rolling

2 Tbsp mild molasses

1 egg

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions:

Adjust an oven rack to middle position

Preheat oven to 350F

Line 3 baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves (if using).

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium until creamy.

Add the sugar and beat until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes.

Add in the molasses, egg, and vanilla.

Mix on low to combine.

Add the flour mixture and mix on low until combined.

Remove bowl from mixer.

Using a spatula, make sure that the molasses is completely combined into the dough and that it is a uniform color.

Form the dough into 2 ounce balls.

Roll balls into granulated sugar to coat.

Put 4 balls of dough on prepared baking tray.

Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 8 minutes, until the cookies are puffed slightly in the center.

Lift the side of the baking sheet up about 4 inches and gently let it drop down against the oven rack (so that the edges of the cookies set and the inside falls back down).

After the cookies puff up again in about 2 minutes, repeat lifting and dropping the pan.  

Repeat 3-4 more times to create ridges around the edge of the cookie.

Bake 13-16 minutes TOTAL, until the cookies have spread out and the edges are golden brown but the centers are might  lighter and not fully cooked.

Transfer the baking sheet to a wire rack.

Let cool completely before removing cookies from the pan

Extra thick, extra marshmallow-y toasted marshmallow Rice Krispie treats

We're 10.5 months into the COVID pandemic.  I'm 4 months pregnant.  I'm chasing around a 20 month old toddler.  I'm working in healthcare, during said pandemic.

So, suffice it to say, I haven't gotten much baking done lately.  I made some Neapolitan cookies (which I'll post eventually) and some Paleo apple crumb muffins (which I won't be posting because....ugh!).  There had been a few batches of brownies and some Rice Krispie treats, too.  Looking back through Instagram posts, I'm pretty sure I made some banana muffins, too.  And some red velvet cake Halloween cake pops, too.  Oh, and let's not forget baby J's first birthday treats!  But, in the past of 10.5 months, that's not really JulieBakes caliber baking.

But tonight I -- and by I, I mean the baby -- wanted to make, and consume, Rice Krispie treats.  Namely the toasted marshmallow Rice Krispie treats no one can seem to get enough of!  The recipe is tried and true and with two minor modifications, they are supremely elevated!!  But, today I decided to make them extra marshmallow-y and super thick!

These Rice Krispie treats use brown butter, which in and of itself it a worthwhile modification to any Rice Krispie treats.  The addition of broiling the marshmallows before melting them in with the brown butter makes them extra decadent!  In order to make them extra marshmallow-y, I 1.5 times the butter and marshmallows while only increasing the Rice Krispies by 1 cup (truth be told, I could've added another cup of Rice Krispies and they still would've been ooey-gooey delicious!).

Then, to make them super thick, I used a smaller pan.  I couldn't find my 8 x 8" baking pan so I used a smaller rectangular pan that B had, which predates me.  I had too much leftover Rice Krispie treat mix, so I started eating it off the spatula, but when that proved too hard a task (there was WAY too much leftover), I put it on a plate and flattened it, and coated it in sprinkles because....why not?  We could all use a little extra color and cheer these days!

Extra Thick, Extra Marshmallow-y Toasted Marshmallow Rice Krispie Treats

modified from this recipe, originally found here.

Ingredients:

6 Tbsp unsalted butter

16 oz marshmallows

7-8 cups Rice Krispies

Directions:

Grease a 9 x 9 inch pan lightly with cooking spray.

Melt the butter in a small sauce pan over medium-low heat.
Continue cooking the butter, swirling pan until it becomes a nice brown color (it takes about 5 minutes).
Remove from the heat.
Transfer browned butter into a large bowl or pot, big enough to hold the Rice Krispies and be able to mix them.  Alternately, you can brown the butter in the bigger pot and cut down on the amount of items needed to be cleaned later, like I did.
Set aide.

Turn the oven on to broil.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Evenly spread the marshmallows onto the lined sheet.

Place the marshmallows under the broiler for 45 seconds to 1 minute, until marshmallows are puffed and deeply golden.  For larger marshmallows, you may need longer.
WATCH THEM CLOSELY, as they can burn very quickly!

Lightly grease a rubber spatula with cooking spray.
Immediately scrap the marshmallows into the bowl/pot with the butter.
Stir to combine quickly.
Pour the Rice Krispies into the toasted marshmallow mixture.
Stir to combine.

Press evenly into the prepared pan.

Allow to cool before cutting into squares and serving.