Description
Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Molasses Sugar Butter Cookies are irresistibly tender and chewy with a rich, complex flavor from browned butter, aromatic spices, and sweet molasses. These classic cookies feature cracks on the surface and a soft center, perfect for cozy afternoons or holiday baking. The recipe involves clarifying and browning butter for a deep buttery flavor, mixing fragrant spices into the dough, rolling dough balls in superfine sugar for sparkle and crunch, and baking to perfection at 375°F.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Browned Butter Base
- 150 grams (10 1/2 tablespoons; 1 stick plus 2 1/2 tablespoons) unsalted butter
- 125 grams (1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons) superfine sugar
- 60 grams (3 tablespoons; 45 ml) light molasses, preferably Grandma’s brand
- 38 grams (2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon or 3/4 large egg)
Dry Ingredients
- 204 grams (1 3/4 cups minus 1 tablespoon; lightly spooned and leveled) bleached all-purpose flour
- 8.2 grams (1 1/2 teaspoons) baking soda
- 3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 3/8 teaspoon ground ginger
For Rolling
- 24 grams (2 tablespoons) superfine sugar
Instructions
- Clarify and Brown the Butter: In a small heavy saucepan set on very low heat, melt the unsalted butter while stirring often with a silicone spatula. Raise the heat to low and continually stir until the milk solids turn a deep brown. Immediately transfer the browned butter and solids into a 1-cup glass measuring cup. Allow to cool to room temperature, not exceeding 80°F (27°C).
- Prepare the Egg: Measure or weigh the egg in a separate 1-cup measure or bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep fresh until use.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the bleached all-purpose flour, baking soda, fine sea salt, ground cinnamon, ground cloves, and ground ginger to distribute the spices evenly.
- Combine Wet Ingredients: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a flat beater attachment, blend the cooled browned butter along with its solids, superfine sugar, molasses, and egg on low speed for 1 minute until well combined.
- Add Dry Ingredients to Wet: Add the flour-spice mixture gradually. Begin mixing on the lowest speed to moisten the flour, then increase to low speed and beat for 30 seconds until just incorporated.
- Chill the Dough: Scrape out the dough onto plastic wrap. Divide it into two equal parts (approximately 281 grams each), wrap tightly, and refrigerate for 1 hour or until firm enough to handle.
- Preheat Oven: At least 30 minutes before baking, place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C).
- Prepare for Rolling: Pour the 2 tablespoons of superfine sugar into a small bowl or custard cup for rolling the cookie dough balls.
- Shape the Dough Balls: Remove one portion of chilled dough from the refrigerator. Using a 1 1/2-inch diameter cookie scoop or a heaping tablespoon (approx. 23 grams), portion the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into a smooth 1 1/4-inch diameter ball with your palms.
- Coat with Sugar: Roll each dough ball thoroughly in the superfine sugar so they are evenly coated. Place the sugar-coated dough balls on an ungreased cookie sheet, spaced at least 1 1/2 inches apart to allow for spreading.
- Bake the Cookies: Bake the cookies for 4 minutes, then rotate the cookie sheet 180 degrees for even baking. Continue baking for an additional 4 to 6 minutes until cracks form on the surface and the cookies still feel soft in the center when lightly pressed. Avoid overbaking to maintain a chewy interior.
- Cool the Cookies: Transfer the cookie sheet to a wire rack and let cookies cool 3 to 5 minutes until firm enough to move. Use a thin pancake turner spatula to transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat the shaping, sugar rolling, baking, and cooling for the second batch.
- Store Properly: Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 7 days, refrigerated for 2 weeks, or frozen for up to 3 months for best freshness.
- Baking Pearls: Use the browned butter at or below 80°F (27°C) to ensure the cookies expand properly and form characteristic cracks. Warmer butter will yield flatter cookies requiring longer baking by about 2 minutes.
- Clarifying Butter Importance: Clarifying butter removes water, preventing thin, underbaked cookies. Use Grade AA butter for best browning and flavor.
- Sugar Selection: Superfine sugar produces the finest, most even crunch and sparkle on cookie surfaces; turbinado sugar may be substituted for more sparkle but coarser texture.
- Dough Handling Tips: Refrigerating half the dough while shaping the first batch keeps dough cool, preventing premature baking soda activation. This step also helps cookies maintain consistent size and shape.
- Dough Freezing Notes: Raw cookie dough freezes well. However, cookies baked from refrigerated dough the same day are smaller, thicker, and lighter in color compared to dough baked after freezing.
Notes
- Ensure browned butter does not exceed 80°F (27°C) before mixing with other ingredients to achieve optimum cookie spread and cracking.
- Grade AA unsalted butter is recommended for best results due to lower water content.
- Superfine sugar is critical for the best texture and appearance on the cookie surface.
- Chilling dough halves separately keeps doughs cold and dough balls uniform in size and shape.
- Cookies can be stored airtight at room temperature (7 days), refrigerated (2 weeks), or frozen (3 months).
- For darker, crisper cookies, extend baking time slightly, but watch closely to avoid burning.
- Use a thin pancake turner to carefully transfer warm cookies to cooling racks without breaking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cookie (approx. 24 g)
- Calories: 110
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 90 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 3.2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 2 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 15 g
- Fiber: 0.5 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 15 mg
