← Nouns Cooking · Bakery

Ingredients

• 280 g plain flour
• 2 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
• ¼ tsp Salt
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground allspice
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• 170 g unsalted butter, soft
• 75 g granulated sugar
• 75 g light brown sugar
• 1 large egg
• 110 g molasses (or black treacle)
• 80 g demerara (turbinado) sugar, for rolling

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan, 350°F) and line two baking trays. Whisk the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and all the spices in a bowl.
2. Beat the butter with the granulated and brown sugars for 2–3 min until light. Beat in the egg, then the molasses; it may look a little curdled, which is fine.
3. Add the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until you have a soft, even dough.
4. Roll into 3 cm balls, roll each one in the demerara sugar and set them 5 cm apart on the trays.
5. Bake one tray at a time for 9–10 min, until puffed and crackled but still soft in the middle. Cool on the tray for 5 min, then on a rack.

Tips

• Take them out while they still look underdone: they flatten and set into a chewy cookie as they cool.
• Black treacle is a little more bitter than American molasses; both work.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Once Upon a Chef King Arthur Baking