Pine Cone Molasses Crinkles
Cozy spices, fresh orange zest, crackly sugar tops, and a little forest magic. Who knew pine cones could bring so much flavor to a cookie?
Servings: 40 small cookies
Equipment
- Stand mixer with paddle attachment (optional)
- 1 ½ Tbsp cookie scoop (optional but recommended)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter soft room temperature
- 1 ½ cups brown sugar
- zest of 1 orange
- ⅓ cup pine cone syrup (aka mugolio)
- 3 ½ cups (420 grams) all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ~½ cup sugar* for rolling
Instructions
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350° F (180° C). Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter, sugar, & zest: Beat 8 oz soft butter with 1 ½ cups brown sugar and the zest of 1 orange until soft and fluffy, about 1-2 minutes.
- Add pine cone syrup & eggs: Pour in ⅓ cup pine cone syrup, mixing until combined. Beat in 2 eggs, one at a time, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl in between. Mix until thoroughly blended.
- Mix in dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk 3 ½ cups (420 grams) flour, 1 Tbsp baking soda, ½ tsp salt, 1 ½ tsp cinnamon, 1 ½ tsp ginger, and ¼ tsp cloves together. Pour dry ingredients into butter mixture, blending until no streaks of flour remain. Beat on low for an additional ~30 seconds to combine well.
- Bake: Place ½ cup sugar in a shallow bowl.Scoop cookie dough into 1 ½ Tbsp balls, then roll in the sugar, tossing to coat on all sides. Place cookies at least 2 inches apart on prepared baking sheets.Bake just until edges are set and tops are crackly, but centers are still slightly soft, about 9-11 minutes.**
Notes
*Rolling sugar: You can use regular granulated sugar or a coarse sugar, like demerara or turbinado.
Granulated sugar gives these cookies a classic crinkle look, a prettier finish, and a very delicate crunch, but a coarse sugar gives a nice crunchy exterior. You could even mix the two if you like.
**My favorite cookie tip: I like to rotate the pan halfway through baking and use the "pan banging" trick. Lift the cookie sheet about an inch above the baking rack and drop it down hard once or twice. Repeat this once more right at the end of baking. This causes the cookies to deflate slightly and gives them a beautiful crinkled look and chewy texture.