Cardamom Molasses Cookies

Meal: 84 cal Protein: 1 g Carbs: 13 g Fat: 3 g

These cookies are in a word….amazing! In this packet are two recipes, but they are essentially one recipe with two variations. You can take this and create multiple flavor profiles. For example, I love to take the Dark Chocolate version and replace the Espresso with Cinnamon and Chile Powder for a Mexican Chocolate Cookie. You can also sandwich them with a bit of ice cream – My favorite is the Molasses Cookies with Salted Caramel Gelato. PS – one ice cream sandwich is just 200 calories. It’s not an every day treat for me, but an occasional splurge that my brain and well-being very much appreciate. What I’ve done with this recipe to manage the calories and 2.5 it is this. I reduced the amount of sugar by more than half and use a combination of double spices, higher fat European style butter and rich black strap molasses to replace it. The second thing I do is use a scoop for portion control. Every cookie is exactly the same size and I know it’s an 85 calorie treat. With Thanksgiving coming up, I’m thinking about Molasses cookies with candied ginger added and a bit of pumpkin mousse on top for a light finish to a substantial meal. Or for Christmas, the Dark Chocolate cookies with Peppermint Ice Cream……. So many options!

And here is the Math for Adjusting the Calories per Cookie.

Add up all the Calories from the specific ingredients you use.
With the ingredients from my pantry, it adds up to 2,511 calories per batch.
Divide by the number of Cookies you make. I scooped exactly 30 cookies.
This tells you the adjusted Calories per Cookie. (2,511/30 = 84 calories)

Serving size 1 Cookie 84 cal Protein: 1 g Carbs: 13 g Fat: 3 g

Ingredients

½ C (1 Stick) Butter
½ C Raw Sugar
¼ C Black Strap Molasses
1 Lg Eggs
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
2 C Flour
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Ginger (I have substituted Chai Spice for Ginger and it’s fantastic)
1 Tsp Cardamom
Sea Salt
½ C Raw Sugar (for rolling)

Directions

PreHeat Oven to 350F Convection (375F Regular setting). Parchment line baking sheet.
In a large bowl, combine Butter, Sugar, and Molasses. Next, add Egg and Vanilla. Mix until smooth and airy.
In a second bowl, combine Flour, Baking Soda, and Spices. Add Dry Ingredients to Wet Ingredients in small batches. Combine well, but don’t over beat. Cover and chill for 1 hour (up to 3 days).
Scoop cookie dough (#50 scoop is perfect), roll in sugar, and place 2 inches apart on baking sheet. Bake Cookies, one sheet at a time in middle of oven, for 8-10 minutes. They will lightly puff and set to form cracks. Don’t over bake. Leave on sheets until they are completely cool.