My mom used to make a gingerbread loaf cake that she served with a lemon sauce in wintertime. This gingerbread snacking cake topped with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd is my ode to the unusual yet wonderful combination of gingerbread and lemon.

The gingerbread cake recipe is based on this maple cinnamon cake, which is also very simple to make. The mixing method and the texture of the cake batter are very similar to the one-bowl chocolate cake, which makes a very fluid cake batter that bakes into a very moist cake, just like this one!

Ingredients

This is a classic gingerbread made from a simple list of ingredients, heavy on molasses and warm spices. Here's what you need to make this gingerbread cake:

• flour—I made this cake with bleached all-purpose flour, but unbleached should work fine
• spices—I used a combination of dry spices that are typically found in gingerbread cookies, specifically, ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves
• leavening agents—this cake is made with baking soda, which contributes to the colour of the cake, the rise, and also the flavour
• fats—I used a combination of unsalted butter and canola oil to help give this taste a moist texture with a buttery flavour
• sugar—I used dark brown sugar to add even more molasses flavour to the cake
• eggs—I always bake cakes with large eggs at room temperature so that they mix better into the batter
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, you may want to add half the amount to avoid the cake being too salty
• molasses—use Fancy molasses, not blackstrap molasses which may have a stronger flavour that won't work well in this recipe
• milk—I used whole milk (3.25 % fat). I don't recommend fat-free milk, though it will technically work fine
• topping options (optional but definitely worth it!)—white chocolate cream cheese frosting (without icing sugar) and lemon curd (preferably homemade), thick cream cheese frosting, salted caramel sauce

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

Like classic gingerbread cutout cookies, this cake starts by melting the butter with the sugar and molasses, before adding the eggs (and other liquids), and finally the dry ingredients. This is very similar to a two-bowl mixing method, like for muffins. Here's how to make this cake:

Step 1—Combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and canola oil in a small saucepan (image 1) and heat it on medium–low to melt the butter and help mix the ingredients (image 2).

Note: Don't boil this! The goal isn't to thicken or evaporate the mixture in any way. We want a little heat to incorporate the ingredients better but not too much.

Step 2—Whisk the eggs with the salt in a large bowl before adding the melted butter and molasses mixture and the milk (image 3). Whisk until evenly combined (image 4)

Step 3—Meanwhile, whisk the dry ingredients together (image 5) to get the spices evenly incorporated then transfer them to a sieve set over the bowl of wet ingredients (image 6) to remove any lumps of spice (image 7). Whisk to form a fluid cake batter (image 8).

Note: the baking soda will start to react and the mixture will fizzle and bubble a little. This is normal.

Step 4—Transfer the cake batter to a prepared 9x9 cake pan (image 9) and bake until set (image 10).

Remember, there are many ways to check if a cake is done baking so use a few. I like to use a cake tester and insert it in the centre of the cake to check if it's done baking. I also look for signs like the edges of the cake pulling away from the pan.

Serving Suggestions

Other Gingerbread Recipes and More Christmas Baking

📖 Recipe

Print

Gingerbread Cake

Learn how to make the most delicious gingerbread cake with cream cheese frosting and lemon curd. This gingerbread snacking cake is flavoured with molasses and lots of spices, and topped with a generous amount of white chocolate cream cheese frosting and lemon curd.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 16

Calories 219kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• Cake tester

Ingredients

• 190 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 7.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 7.5 mL ground ginger
• 3.75 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 1.25 mL ground allspice
• 1.25 mL ground cloves
• 255 grams Fancy molasses
• 100 grams dark brown sugar
• 80 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 45 mL canola oil
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 250 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) I don't recommend fat free

Suggested toppings and garnishes (optional)

• 1 batch white chocolate cream cheese frosting
• 125 mL lemon curd

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Prepare a 9-inch (23-cm) square metal pan by greasing and flouring. Line the bottom of the pan with a square of parchment paper to make it easy to unmould it. Set aside.
• Whisk together the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside for later.
• In a small saucepan, combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and oil. Heat it on medium–low, just warm enough to melt the butter and get all the ingredients well mixed. Do not boil! Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the salt to loosen them up, then add the warm (not hot) butter and molasses mixture, as well as the milk. Whisk everything together until really well mixed.
• Sift the dry ingredients over the wet ingredients to remove any lumps and whisk them into the wet ingredients. The batter will be very fluid, the baking soda will start to fizz and bubble a little, and there may be a few very small lumps of flour.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean. The cake will also pull away slightly from the sides of the pan.
• Remove the cake from the oven and cool completely in the pan before serving.

Notes

• You can enjoy the cake as is without any toppings, but if you can, definitely serve it with lemon curd (homemade lemon curd is better but store-bought will work) and this white chocolate cream cheese frosting is also excellent with this cake. You can also serve it with salted caramel sauce if you prefer.
• I baked this cake in a 9x9 OXO gold pan which has a non-stick finish so I skipped the flour when preparing the pan but still butter the bottom and sides and line the bottom with parchment to make unmoulding and serving neater. If your pan doesn't have a non-stick finish, flour the sides of the pan before pouring the batter inside.
• For the spices, I love to add lots of ginger and cinnamon as well as nutmeg, allspice, and cloves. Some will also add ground black pepper or white pepper to give the cake a little spicy punch. It's really up to you the spices you use.
• You can replace the molasses with honey or maple syrup. Both will work, but the flavour and colour of the cake will be markedly different.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!

Nutrition

Calories: 219kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 115mg | Potassium: 296mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 183IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Moist Gingerbread Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Lemon Curd appeared first on The Bake School.

I always spend Easter weekend with my family, and we always have hot cross buns and tea in the afternoons. I try to make these hot cross buns from scratch every spring because they are a favourite. As they bake, the scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves fills the house.

Hot cross buns are a sweet, spiced fruit bread made from an enriched yeast dough. That means the bread dough is enhanced with rich ingredients like eggs, milk, sugar, and butter. You will also find in this bread category, brioche, maple brioche buns, stollen bread, stollen buns, chocolate babka bread, chocolate babka buns, and even Turkish coffee cardamom buns).

Apparently hot cross buns are an old Anglican tradition. The buns have a cross piped onto them in reference to Good Friday. Hot cross buns are served to mark the end of Lent, specifically on Good Friday, though these days, they are enjoyed Easter weekend, and in some parts of the world, bakeries sell them at other holidays, like Christmas.

Ingredients

Traditional hot cross buns are made from an enriched dough, meaning higher in fat and sugar than a typical bread dough. Here's what you need to make these Easter buns:

• flour—regular bleached all-purpose flour works great in this recipe. Unbleached will also work but may absorb less water so adjust the liquid accordingly (add less to start with and slowly add more to achieve the consistency of dough in the photos below)
• sugar—I used regular white granulated sugar for the dough and cross
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the buns may be too salty
• yeast—instant yeast (also called rapid rise yeast) works great in this recipe because you don't have to pre-dissolve it in liquids. Add the fine yeast along with the dry ingredients and mix it in before adding the liquids. So fast and easy! Rise times are also shorter with this type of yeast
• milk—I prefer to use whole milk (3.25 %) or 2 % milk, though low fat or skim will also work
• butter—this recipe works with salted or unsalted butter. I generally bake with unsalted
• eggs—use whole large eggs for these Easter buns. If you use smaller eggs, the dough may be dryer
• dried fruit like raisins and/or candied citrus peel. I prefer to combine sultana raisins, golden raisins, currants, candied orange peel, candied lemon peel, or citron peel. These add-ins are mixed into the dough before the first rise
• sweet spices, like cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and ginger. Hot cross buns would taste great with cardamom too!
• neutral oil like canola oil, which is flavourless to create the cross paste
• maple syrup for glazing—I prefer medium or dark maple syrup which is more flavourful

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

The combination of candied citrus peel and raisins, alongside the mixture of spices, is what makes hot cross buns so special. I truly believe that these are better than any bun that you buy in a store. Trust me. Here are a few ways to modify this recipe:

• without raisins: if you want to make hot cross buns without raisins, replace the raisins with chocolate chips, cup for cup. I recommend dark chocolate chips in this recipe.
• cranberry or cherry: you can also replace the raisins with dried cranberries or dried cherries for a delicious variation of the classic.
• ginger: replace the candied peel with chopped crystallized ginger for a spicy change.
• active yeast: if you prefer to use active dry yeast in place of the instant/rapid-rise yeast, you can. You will have to modify the method, dissolving it in the warm milk before adding it to the mixer. Otherwise you may end up with lumps of dry yeast in the dough in patches.
• glaze: instead of glazing with maple syrup, you can try a few other things:
  • Donna Hay uses a gelatin glaze (a mixture of powdered gelatin hydrated in cold water) brushed onto the hot buns which melts the gelatin. This works extremely well, but it's bland and doesn't do anything for the buns except making them shine
  • Neutral glaze is what bakeries would use. It's a flavourless sweet commercial glaze that comes in a tub
  • Melted apricot jam or apple jelly will also work here, but again, the finish will be a little sticky
  • Simple syrup is another great glaze option for you to try and a traditional glaze for babka, actually!
• cross alternative: you can add the cross after baking by making a sweet white glaze from icing sugar and water and piping it on AFTER baking the hot cross buns, when they have cooled. Royal icing would also work. 

How To Make Homemade Hot Cross Buns

The secret to stress-free bread baking is to use the dough hook of your stand mixer. This is what I do for the easy brioche bread recipe too. This hot cross buns recipe is easy because I made the dough with a KitchenAid mixer (the big 6-quart pro model or the smaller Artisan mixer works too—I've tested this recipe in both!). Sure, you could knead hot cross buns dough by hand. Works like a charm! I guess I'm a little lazy, but I've had a lot of success kneading dough with a mixer, so I don't do that by hand anymore.

Step 1: Combine the dry ingredients in the stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 1) and mix them until evenly dispersed (image 2). Add the warm wet ingredients (warm milk, melted butter, and room temperature egg) (image 3) and stir them in to form a sticky dough (image 4).

Step 2: Add the raisins and candied peel (image 5) and stir them in (image 6) then switch to the dough hook to knead the dough until smooth (image 7).

Step 3: Transfer the dough to a greased container or clear bowl (image 8). Then cover it and let it rise in a warm place until doubled (image 9).

Step 4: Portion out the dough into 12 pieces using a scale (image 10). Roll them into balls (image 11). Make sure the buns are smooth and tight at this stage (image 12) before setting them on parchment paper-lined half-sheet pans.

Note: You can fit all twelve buns on one half sheet pan or divide them between two pans. It all depends on if you want to make smooth, neat round buns or pull-apart buns that bake together.

Step 5: Combine the ingredients for the paste in a small bowl (image 12). Whisk them until smooth (image 13).

Step 6: Transfer the paste to a piping bag fitted with a 6 mm round tip and pipe crosses on the proofed buns (image 14).

Step 7: Bake the buns until golden brown. The internal temperature should be at least 88 °C (190 °F). Then immediately brush the surface of the buns with maple syrup as soon as they come out of the oven (image 17) to glaze them and soften the crust.

Tip: a digital instant-read thermometer like a Thermapen to check the internal temperature of the buns to verify they are baked properly

How To Store Homemade Hot Cross Buns

This recipe makes 12 hot cross buns which can seem like a lot or even too much for some families. Personally, I live alone, so I use my freezer to store these when I make this recipe and if I don't have the opportunity to share them with others:

• slice open the buns once they have cooled
• freeze them in a single layer on a parchment-lined sheet pan
• transfer to a freezer bag to store long-term

If you follow these steps, you should be able to store your hot cross buns for several months. When you want to have a bun, take one out of the freezer and toast it in a toaster, a toaster oven, or in a preheated oven. Slathered with lots of salted butter, nobody will realize the buns were frozen!

Serving Suggestions

Serve hot cross buns split in half, with salted butter, orange marmalade, or even maple butter or dulce de leche.

Toast leftovers in a toaster oven or in a regular oven to warm them up.

Tips for Best Hot Cross Buns

Check the consistency of your dough halfway through kneading. If your dough seems too sticky, wet, or clinging to the bowl, it needs more flour.

Add 30 grams more flour and continue kneading the dough to see if the dough comes together in a ball that is smooth and tacky, clinging to the dough hook but not the sides of the bowl.

To pipe the cross, you can use a 6 mm round piping tip or even smaller to create a thinner, more discrete cross. You can also cut a very tiny opening in the tip of a piping bag (or the corner of a ziploc bag) and avoid piping tips altogether.

More Easter Baking Recipes

The Easter baking season is short but sweet. It's a great opportunity to explore baking with carrots and also leftover Easter chocolate, incorporating Mini Eggs into Easter brownies and blondies!

Hot Cross Bun Baking FAQs

If you tried this recipe for the best hot cross buns (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Easter Hot Cross Buns

This Easter recipe for homemade hot cross buns makes 12 big beautiful buns flavoured with a mixture of cinnamon, raisins, and candied peel. The buns are brushed with maple syrup just after baking which gives them a gorgeous shiny, sweet finish.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine British

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes minutes

Rising time 2 hours hours

Total Time 2 hours hours 55 minutes minutes

Servings 12

Calories 375kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Sheet pan
• Piping bags
• Thermapen

Ingredients

Bun dough

• 530 grams bleached all-purpose flour you may need 60 grams (½ cup) extra flour if the dough is too sticky so have it ready!
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 13.75 mL ground cinnamon
• 8 grams instant yeast 1 small packet
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 2.5 mL ground ginger
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 1.25 mL ground cloves
• 375 mL milk (2 %) warmed to ~95°F
• 58 grams unsalted butter melted
• 1 large egg(s) room temperature
• 240 grams sultana raisins or a mixture of golden raisins and sultanas (or whatever I have in the cupboard)
• 55 grams candied mixed peel (orange, lemon, citron)

Cross paste

• 65 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 80 mL water
• 5 mL canola oil
• 2.5 mL granulated sugar

Glaze

• 60 mL pure maple syrup

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the flour, yeast, sugar, spices, and salt. Stir on low to evenly disperse everything together.
• Add the milk, melted butter, and egg. Mix on low for a minute until the ingredients are well mixed. Then add the raisins and candied peel, and mix again to combine everything. Cover the bowl with a towel and let sit for 10 minutes.
• Switch to the dough hook attachment and knead the dough in the mixer on low speed (speed 2) for 5 minutes.
• Check the texture of the dough. The dough should not stick too much to the sides of the bowl and should have formed a ball in the bowl, wrapped around the hook. It should feel slightly tacky when you press it with your fingers. If it’s too wet and not forming a cohesive ball of dough at this point, you may add up to 60 grams (½ cup) of extra flour. Start by working in 30 grams, then add another 30 grams if necessary. Continue kneading for another 5 minutes (this is essential to get a good bun texture).
• Form the dough into a ball and place it in a greased, large bowl (rolling it in the bowl to grease the dough). Cover the bowl with saran wrap.
• Let rise until the dough has doubled in size, in a warm, draft-free location, like in the oven with just the light turned on. This takes about 45 minutes to an hour depending on how warm your kitchen is.
• Line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper. 
• Portion out the dough into 12 equal pieces (about 120 grams dough per bun). Roll each piece into a ball and place on the prepared pans, staggered. You can place all twelve buns on one sheet pan to create pull-apart buns or split them between two pans to create perfectly rounded buns.
• Cover the pans with saran wrap and let the buns rise until they have doubled (about 30 minutes to 1 hour at room temperature).
• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).
• Prepare the cross paste: mix the flour, water, oil, and sugar. Using a piping bag fitted with a round piping tip (6 mm tip), pipe thinly onto the top of each bun just before baking. The dough should be thin enough to pipe, but thick enough not to spread too much.
• Bake the buns on the middle racks for 25–30 minutes, or until the buns are deep golden colour. If you are unsure, use a thermometer to check the middle: for buns made with eggs, milk, and butter, meaning enriched breads, the internal temperature should be at least 190 °F (88 °C) when baked. I've gone as high as 212 ºF or 100 ºC without problems.
• Remove the buns from the oven and brush with maple syrup a couple of times as they cool (note that as the buns cool, the maple syrup will form a sweet sticky glaze on the buns). Serve the buns when they are slightly warm, with salted butter. You can reheat them in the oven the next day.

Notes

• salt: I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount to avoid the bread being too salty
• without raisins: if you want to make hot cross buns without raisins, replace the raisins with chocolate chips, cup for cup. I recommend dark chocolate chips in this recipe
• cranberry or cherry: you can also replace the raisins with dried cranberries or dried cherries for a delicious variation of the classic
• ginger: replace the candied peel with chopped crystallized ginger for a spicy change
• active yeast: if you prefer to use active dry yeast in place of the instant/rapid-rise yeast, you can. You will have to modify the method, dissolving it in the warm milk before adding it to the mixer. Otherwise you may end up with lumps of dry yeast in the dough in patches.
• glaze options: instead of glazing with maple syrup, you can try a few other things:
  • Donna Hay uses a gelatin glaze (a mixture of powdered gelatin hydrated in cold water) brushed onto the hot buns which melts the gelatin. This works extremely well, but it's bland and doesn't do anything for the buns except making them shine
  • Neutral glaze is what bakeries would use. It's a flavourless sweet commercial glaze that comes in a tub
  • Melted apricot jam or apple jelly will also work here, but again, the finish will be a little sticky
  • Simple syrup is another great glaze option for you to try and a traditional glaze for babka, actually!

Nutrition

Calories: 375kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 130mg | Potassium: 306mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 18g | Vitamin A: 197IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg

The post Hot Cross Buns With Raisins appeared first on The Bake School.

I have been searching for the perfect molasses cookie for a long time. I was looking for a cookie that was chewy and not too soft. Most importantly, I wanted it to have that crackled finish. I think this is pretty darn close to what I had in mind.

Molasses cookies are quite different than ginger cookies. They get most of their sweetness and depth of flavour from molasses, instead of granulated or brown sugar. Molasses cookies, in the most classic sense, are not flavoured with warm spices, like ginger or cinnamon, though some recipes do feature it.

Molasses cookies tend to have a cracked or crinkled appearance on the surface of the cookies, so they may be called molasses crinkles or molasses crackle cookies.

What Molasses Cookies Are Made Of

If you want to make thick and chewy molasses sugar cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

• butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the dough, but if you have salted it, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly, otherwise, your cookies may be too salty
• light brown sugar, which adds to the molasses flavour and also helps make a slightly thicker cookie that has a chewy texture
• molasses, specifically Fancy molasses or baking molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses, which may be too bitter for this recipe
• large eggs—don't use smaller eggs because your cookie dough may be too dry, leading to cookies that don't spread at all in the oven, and don't use extra large eggs which might make the dough too wet and loose causing the cookies to puff and spread too much
• all-purpose flour is needed to bind all the ingredients together and give the cookies structure, contributing to the chewiness of the cookies as well. If you don't use enough flour, your cookies may spread too much as they bake
• baking soda is a base (alkaline) and contributes to that signature cracked finish that we expect of the best ginger cookies. You need baking soda for the cookies to spread properly and to crack. Do not use baking powder. Read up on baking soda vs baking powder if you are unsure
• salt is really important to balance out the sweet molasses flavour. Please don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Note that we are not baking with ground ginger or cinnamon, or adding any warm spices to the dough. This cookie is all about the flavour of molasses and by eliminating the typical spices that we use in gingerbread cookie cut-outs and crystallized ginger cookies, we are giving the chance for the molasses to shine through.

Substitutions and Variations

• Molasses—use fancy molasses (which you can find on Amazon), which is sometimes called baking molasses or original molasses in the US (available on Amazon) or black treacle, which I used in these soft gingerbread cookies. You can also order black treacle on Amazon. Both are by-products from the sugar refinement process in the transformation of sugar cane). Mild molasses also works.
• Brown sugar—I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar also works
• Sugar coating—I love to roll the scoops of cookie dough in turbinado sugar, a coarse crunchy non-melting sugar, but you can also roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar or even icing sugar or both (like for chocolate crinkle cookies and lemon ricotta cookies)

Note: Do not use blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is very dark and has a more bitter taste, whereas Fancy molasses has a milder taste that is more suited for regular homemade cookies and Christmas cookies.

How To Make Molasses Sugar Cookies

Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl of your stand mixer after each step to ensure all the ingredients are properly mixed. Otherwise, you will end up with textural defects in your cookies that may show up on the surface of them (like crystallized or shiny patches).

Step 1—Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (image 1) and mix them until creamy and smooth before adding the molasses (image 2) followed by the egg (image 3).

Step 2—Whisk the dry ingredients in a separate bowl (image 4) and then add them to the mixer (image 5). Stir until you form a thick, sticky dough (image 6). I like to transfer the dough to a smaller bowl or container to chill until firm (image 7)

Step 3—Scoop the dough using a medium cookie scoop (image 8) and then roll each scoop in turbinado sugar to coat it all around (image 9). I like to do all the scooping at once and then all the rolling in sugar at once so that my scoops are ready to bake (image 10).

Step 4—Stagger the cookies on a baking sheet, six per half-sheet pan (image 11) and bake until set and cracked (image 12).

Baking Tips For Thick Chewy Molasses Cookies

To achieve the perfect thick and chewy molasses cookie with a cracked surface:

• chill the cookie dough properly so that the edges will set before the baking soda reacts, which will lead to cracking when the leavening kicks in. Insufficient chilling may lead to thinner cookies
• use the correct type and amount of chemical leavener: in this recipe, we use baking soda, not baking powder, and we use a lot of it to achieve the right flavour, browning, and cracked finish
• roll the cookies in turbinado sugar, which adds a coarse crunch to the outside of the cookie and a little sparkle.

You could also opt to roll in granulated sugar, like for the classic ginger cookies, or icing sugar. You need to make sure to really coat the scoops of cookie dough thickly with sugar to achieve an even crackle finish.

If you want a thicker powdery white crinkle on the outside, you can roll the balls of dough into granulated sugar first before coating them in icing sugar (powdered sugar). The granulated sugar will help absorb the moisture on the surface of the cookies, drying them out and helping the cookies crack in the oven when they are baked. Really coat the cookies generously in a lot of powdered sugar so that they are well covered in a thick layer of icing sugar.

Other Baking Recipes With Molasses

If you love the taste of molasses, here are a few other recipes to try:

• ginger cookies with white chocolate
• moist gingerbread cake topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and lemon curd
• gingerbread muffins with cranberries

If you tried this recipe for the best molasses sugar cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Molasses Sugar Cookies

These sparkly molasses sugar cookies have a bold molasses flavour and a great chewy texture. These cookies are thick with a crunchy exterior because the scoops of cookie dough are coated in turbinado sugar before baking.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour

Total Time 26 minutes minutes

Servings 20 cookies

Calories 189kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 1-⅓oz scoop
• Sheet pan

Ingredients

• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 100 grams light brown sugar
• 225 grams Fancy molasses
• 1 large egg(s)
• 345 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 5 mL baking soda
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 150 grams turbinado sugar

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, then beat in the egg, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half this dry mixture to the mixer bowl and stir it in on low, then mix in the rest.
• The dough is soft so cover the bowl with plastic wrap and chill it in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C). Line a baking sheet with parchment.
• Roll 40 grams of dough into round balls, then roll them in the turbinado to coat them on all sides. Place the cookies on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Bake the cookies for about 11 minutes or so, the edges will be firm. Let cool 5 minutes on the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.

Notes

• Variations:
  • Molasses—use fancy molasses (which you can find on Amazon), which is sometimes called baking molasses or original molasses in the US (available on Amazon) or black treacle, which I used in these soft gingerbread cookies. You can also order black treacle on Amazon. Both are by-products from the sugar refinement process in the transformation of sugar cane). Mild molasses also works.
  • Brown sugar—I used light brown sugar, but dark brown sugar also works
  • Sugar coating—I love to roll the scoops of cookie dough in turbinado sugar, a coarse crunchy non-melting sugar, but you can also roll the cookie dough in granulated sugar or even icing sugar or both (like for chocolate crinkle cookies and lemon ricotta cookies) 
  • Salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the cookies may be too salty.
• Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.

Nutrition

Calories: 189kcal | Carbohydrates: 34g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 74mg | Potassium: 196mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 156IU | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Molasses Sugar Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.

I am a big fan of the combination of lemon and gingerbread. It's so unique and surprising to many, but works so incredibly well! My mom used to make a gingerbread and serve it with lemon sauce. This moist gingerbread cake with white chocolate cream cheese frosting is served with dollops of lemon curd, a nod to that flavour combination. These stamped gingerbread cookies are another simple way of approaching those flavours.

What is black treacle?

The original recipe calls for black treacle (or dark treacle), which is a dark molasses-like syrup from Britain. Black treacle is a by-product of the sugar refining process and has a very distinctive, pronounced earthy molasses flavour, on the verge of burnt even.

The only black treacle I've ever found here is from the brand Lyle's (they also make golden syrup, which is another British ingredient used in baking) and it comes in a cute red tin. If you can't find Lyle's Black Treacle in stores near you, you can find it on Amazon. Another option would be to replace the black treacle with blackstrap molasses, which is more readily available in North America. Usually, you can find blackstrap molasses at the grocery store in the baking aisle (should be next to the fancy molasses), or in the organic section. You may also find it in health food stores and organic grocery stores.

Making stamped cookies

There are 2 methods to make stamped cookies:

1. Form balls of cookie dough, then press down with the stamp to stamp out the pattern onto each cookie, using floured cookie stamps. This is the method I used for these stamped chocolate cookies. This method can lead to scraggly, uneven methods, and there's nothing wrong with that, but if you want a clean edge, use the other method.
2. Roll out the cookie dough into a sheet, stamp out the pattern on the sheet of rolled dough as many times as you can, and then take a round cookie cutter that is the same diameter as the stamp and cut out the stamped rounds. Make sure to leave a thin between stamps to allow for space for the cookie cutter. This method is more tedious and takes much longer, but this will lead to the cleanest, most professional look. This is the method I used for these lemon shortbread cookies.

The recipe comes from the book Sweet by Yotam Ottolenghi and Helen Goh. I highly recommend this baking book and you can order it from Amazon.

📖 Recipe

Print

Soft Gingerbread Cookies

These soft gingerbread cookies are made using Nordic Ware cookie stamps and then finished with a lemon glaze for a festive holiday treat. Recipe by Yotam Ottolenghi & Helen Goh from the baking book Sweet

Course Dessert

Cuisine British

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 30 minutes minutes

Servings 14

Calories 186kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• GIR spatula
• Starry stamps
• Sheet pan

Ingredients

Soft gingerbread cookies

• 85 grams unsalted butter at room temperature
• 90 grams dark brown sugar
• 100 grams Lyle's black treacle
• 1 large egg yolk(s)
• 235 grams bleached all-purpose flour plus extra for pressing
• 1 tablespoon Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 2.5 mL baking soda
• 5 mL ground ginger
• 2.5 mL ground cinnamon
• 0.625 mL ground cloves
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 1.25 mL freshly ground black pepper

Lemon-Butter Glaze

• 80 grams icing sugar
• 15 grams unsalted butter melted and warm
• 15 mL fresh lemon juice
• 5 mL warm water

Metric - US

Instructions

• Place the butter, sugar, and treacle in the bowl of an electric mixer with the paddle attachment in place. Beat on medium speed until smooth and incorporated. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat until fully combined.
• Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper into a separate bowl. Turn the speed of the mixer to low, and add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture. Once the mix comes together, tip the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead gently. Refrigerate the dough if it's too soft to roll. Roll out the dough so that it is about ¼ inch/ 0.5 cm thick. Remember, if the dough is very soft, you will need to chill it.
• Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
• Dip the cookie stamps in a small bowl of flour, shake off any excess and then press them firmly into the dough, one at a time, to create a deep imprint. How far you need to press to get an imprint will depend on your stamp; the patterns on some are more deeply cut than others. Bear in mind that the cookies rise a little when cooked, so any soft imprints will disappear. Using a round cookie cutter that is slightly larger than the pattern, cut out the pieces of imprinted gingerbread. Transfer the cookies to the lined baking sheets, spaced about ¾ inch–½ cm apart. Reroll the dough and continue to stamp and cut cookies until all the dough is used up.
• Bake for 9–10 minutes, rotating the sheets halfway through, until firm to the touch. They will continue to firm up as they cool, so don’t be tempted to bake them for any longer.
• To make the lemon-butter glaze while the gingerbreads are in the oven, as the glaze needs to be brushed onto the cookies while they are still warm, sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl. Add the melted butter,  lemon juice, and water, and mix with a spoon until smooth. The glaze will thicken slightly if it sits around, so stir through a little more warm water if you need to—it should be the consistency of runny honey.
• Remove the cookies from the oven, leave them to cool for 5 minutes, then brush the glaze all over with a pastry brush. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Dark treacle: I used Lyle's black treacle, which comes in a can, but you can use blackstrap molasses if you can't find treacle. Treacle is a British product that is quite similar to molasses. You can order Lyle's black treacle from Amazon.
• Cookie stamps: I like Nordic Ware cookie stamps. They have a wooden handle, are easy to use, and easy to clean. I like to stamp out as many of the designs as possible, then using a round cookie cutter of the same diameter, I cut out the cookies. The Starry Nights Nordic Ware cookie stamps I used for this post are available on Amazon. I also love the All Season stamps available on Amazon. I used those to make these stamped chocolate cookies.
• Glaze: Feel free to replace the lemon juice with some rum to brush these gingerbread cookies with a rum glaze instead. Up to you!
• Make-Ahead: Once the dough is made, it can be covered in plastic wrap and kept in the fridge for up to 2 days before baking.
• Storage: These will keep for several days in an airtight container. The glaze will whiten, and may dry out and crack a little, but the cookies will still taste great!

Nutrition

Calories: 186kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 29mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 139mg | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 195IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 48mg | Iron: 2mg

Please note this post contains affiliate links for Amazon. If you buy a product I recommend, I will get a small commission, and the price you have to pay will not change in any way.

The post Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.

These crinkle cookies are super chocolaty and not too sweet, even with all that powdered sugar. The texture is amazing, fudge-y but light, and the chopped walnuts add a little bit of a soft crunch to them (just like for brownies).

These cookies are easy to make and you can make the dough a few days ahead of time before rolling and baking them.

What You Need to Make Chocolate Crackle Cookies

• butter—I bake with unsalted butter. If using salted butter, please adjust the amount of salt to avoid the cookies being too salty
• sugars—you will need both granulated sugar and icing sugar (also called powdered sugar)
• eggs—I bake with large eggs. Avoid using smaller or larger eggs as this may affect the texture and spread of the cookies
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal Fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, please add half the amount or the cookies may be too salty
• flour—I used bleached all-purpose flour though unbleached will work fine
• cocoa powder—I always bake with Dutch-processed cocoa powder. For this recipe, I used Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder, which has a reddish tint
• chocolate—use a dark chocolate that is not too sweet and with a high percent of cocoa solids (around 70 %). Do not use chocolate chips as they don't melt well and they may make the cookies too sweet
• leavening—the leavening is crucial in this recipe and you will need baking powder. The cracking effect of these cookies comes from the surface drying as they bake before the leavening starts to act.
• nuts—I love brownies with walnuts and so added chopped walnuts to the chocolate cookie dough. Do not skip the nuts because the cookies may spread more without them.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Sugars—you can roll the scoops of cookie dough in granulated sugar, then icing sugar, or you can skip the granulated sugar and simply roll in powdered sugar. The crinkle cookies rolled in both granulated and icing sugar have a more consistent look and they are more stable upon storage. The surface of crackle cookies rolled in straight icing sugar may absorb or dissolve the icing sugar in places, creating an uneven and less attractive finish
• Nuts—I love to add walnuts to brownies and so these crinkle cookies are made with chopped toasted walnuts. You can replace them with chopped almonds or pistachios. Note that if you want to omit the nuts, the cookies may spread more.
• Cocoa powder—please use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a higher pH than "natural" cocoa. If you use natural cocoa powder, this will affect the leavening, causing the baking powder to react prematurely, which may affect the spread and rise of the cookies when they bake.

How to Make Perfect Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

Step 1—Start by melting the dark chocolate over a pan of simmering water (image 1) until smooth and glossy (image 2). While the chocolate melts you can chop the walnuts fairly finely (image 3) and sift the dry ingredients together (image 4) so that they are well mixed. Set all these ingredients aside for later.

Step 2—In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter and sugar (image 5) and mix until light and fluffy before adding the eggs and vanilla (image 6), then add the cooled melted chocolate (image 7).

Note: the cookie dough may seem curdled after the eggs go in (especially if you kitchen is cool (or too hot!) but once you add the melted chocolate the cookie dough will become smooth and glossy (image 8).

Step 3—Mix the cookie dough well after incorporating the melted chocolate to ensure all the ingredients are evenly mixed (image 8). Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl too! Then alternate adding the dry ingredients (image 9) and the milk (image 10), beginning and ending with dry ingredients, then add the chopped walnuts (image 11).

Step 4—Mix the dough until evenly mixed but it will be quite soft and sticky (image 12). Transfer the chocolate cookie dough to a bowl or container to chill for at least 1 hour (or overnight) (image 13).

Step 5—Scoop all the chilled cookie dough using a ¾ ounce disher (image 14). Roll the scoops between the palms of your hand until smooth (image 15) Then coat each scoop in granulated sugar (image 16) before coating with a thick layer of icing sugar (image 17).

Step 6— Place approximately 8 sugar-coated chocolate crinkle cookies on a half-sheet pan, spacing them out (image 18) and bake until cracked and set on the outside (image 19).

Tips for Perfect Crinkle Cookies

To achieve the perfect crackle finish where the icing sugar is cracked, you need to make sure to really coat the scoops of cookie dough thickly with powdered sugar. But even then, the icing sugar coating gets absorbed on the surface of the cookie, leading to an uneven and not very attractive looking effect.

If you find your powdery white finish on the outside isn't looking great, next time, you can roll the balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar first before coating them in icing sugar (powdered sugar). The granulated sugar will help absorb the moisture on the surface of the cookies, drying them out and helping the cookies crack in the oven when they are baked.

Make sure to coat the cookies generously in a lot of powdered sugar so that they are well covered in a thick layer of icing sugar.

Chocolate Crinkle Cookie FAQs

Other Crinkle Cookie Recipes

If you like crinkle cookies, be sure to check out these lemon ricotta cookies and these chewy molasses cookies (not technically a crinkle cookie but they crack perfectly as they cool). These chocolate sugar cookies also have a lovely cracked finish to them and don't involve the thick powdered sugar coating.

If you tried this recipe for the best chocolate crinkle cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Chocolate Crackle Cookies

Chocolate crackle cookies, also called crinkle cookies, are very easy to make. They have a rich chocolate flavour, a soft and chewy brownie-like texture, and a powdered sugar exterior that cracks in the oven.

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 11 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 31 minutes minutes

Servings 60

Calories 77kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• ¾ oz scoop
• Sheet pan

Ingredients

• 220 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) roughly chopped
• 160 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 45 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 10 mL baking powder
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 115 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 200 grams light brown sugar
• 2 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 80 mL whole milk (3.25 % fat) room temperature
• 80 grams chopped walnuts
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 125 grams icing sugar you might need more depending on how thick you coat the cookies before baking

Metric - US

Instructions

• Melt the chocolate in a small bowl over a double-boiler. Set aside to cool slightly.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside for later.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the brown sugar until the mixture has lightened slightly.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, beating between each addition and scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, and beat the mixture again. Now add the melted chocolate, mixing well.
• With the mixer on low, add the flour, alternating with the milk. When all the ingredients are well blended, add the walnuts.
• Cover the bowl and refrigerate the cookie dough for a couple of hours, if not overnight.
• Form the dough into 1 inch balls, and refrigerate the dough again so that it is nice and firm.
• When you are ready to bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line your baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll the balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar, then complely coat in powdered sugar. Press the scoops in the icing sugar to generously coat them. Place them on a baking sheet, about 2 inches apart (8 cookies per half sheet pan).
• Bake the cookies for 11–13 minutes, or until the cookies have crackled on top (and not just on the sides).
• Let cool a couple of minutes on the baking sheet before transferring the cookies to a rack.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Dark chocolate—I used Cacao Barry Ocoa 70 % dark chocolate. Please use a chocolate with a high percentage of cocoa that is not too sweet
• Nuts—I love to add walnuts to brownies and so these crinkle cookies are made with chopped toasted walnuts. You can replace them with chopped almonds or pistachios. Note that if you want to omit the nuts, the cookies may spread more.
• Cocoa powder—please use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a higher pH than "natural" cocoa. If you use natural cocoa powder, this will affect the leavening, causing the baking powder to react prematurely, which may affect the spread and rise of the cookies when they bake.
• Make sure to roll the balls of cookie dough in granulated sugar first before coating them in icing sugar (powdered sugar). The granulated sugar will help absorb the moisture on the surface of the cookies, drying them out and helping the cookies crack in the oven when they are baked.

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcal

The post Chocolate Crackle Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.

There are so many Christmas cookie recipes that you can bake, and some are more challenging or demanding than others. The trouble is that the holidays are hectic, and you may not have the time, the patience, or the energy for cutout gingerbread cookies made by rolling out disks of dough and cutting it out with cookie cutters before baking and decorating. That's where these slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies can be a real lifesaver!

These slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies have a really festive flavour from the fancy molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Rolling the logs of cookie dough in turbinado sugar gives a lovely crunch to the edges of each cookie.

Why Slice-and-Bake Gingerbread Cookies?

Slice-and-bake cookies, also known as icebox cookies, allow you to produce hundreds of cookies easily without breaking a sweat. The beauty of this type of cookie is that the recipe is just like rolled-out cookie doughs, but the dough is shaped into logs that are easy to store if wrapped tightly. You can make slice-and-bake cookie dough months ahead and store it in the freezer.

Icebox Gingerbread Cookie Ingredients

If you want to make these easy gingerbread cookies, you will need the following ingredients:

• butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the dough, but if you have salted, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly otherwise your cookies may be too salty
• sugar—this recipe calls for both light brown sugar and granulated sugar. The brown sugar adds flavour and softness, while the granulated sugar will contribute to the crisp edges
• molasses, specifically Fancy molasses or light/baking molasses. Do not use blackstrap molasses, which is too bitter for this recipe
• eggs—use large eggs. Don't use smaller eggs because your cookie dough may be too dry and your cookie dough won't roll out nicely, but don't use extra large eggs because they could cause the cookie dough to puff too much as it bakes, leading to a more cakey cookie or a spread out cookie.
• all-purpose flour is needed to bind all the ingredients together and give the cookies structure. If you don't use enough flour, your cookies may spread too much as they bake
• spices—ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves are added to the dough to make these cookies very flavourful. These are the usual spices in gingerbread, though some may add anise or even ground black pepper
• salt is really important to balance out the sweet molasses flavour. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.

Substitutions and Variations

• Molasses:
  • In this recipe, we are baking with Fancy molasses (which you can find on Amazon), which is sometimes called baking molasses or original molasses in the US (available on Amazon). Mild molasses also works.
  • Another option worth exploring would be black Treacle, which I used in these soft gingerbread cookies. Lyle's Black Treacle is very popular in Great Britain, and it's used to bake instead of molasses. You can also order it on Amazon.
  • Do not use blackstrap molasses. Blackstrap molasses is very dark and has a more bitter taste, whereas Fancy molasses has a milder taste that is more suited for Christmas cookies.
  • This recipe works with maple syrup but the colour of the cookies will be lighter. Honey could work as well. In both cases, the flavour will be quite different.
• Spices: typical gingerbread spices include ground ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, but you may also mix and match these with others like allspice, mace, cardamom, and ground black pepper.
• Nuts: you may want to incorporate finely chopped toasted walnuts or hazelnuts in the dough.
• Crystallized ginger: you may enhance the ginger flavour of these cookies by mixing diced crystallized ginger into the dough.

How to Slice-and-Bake Gingerbread Cookies

Just like classic gingerbread cutout cookies, this slice-and-bake cookie dough comes together easily.

Step 1: Whisk the dry ingredients together (flour, salt, and spices) in a medium bowl (image 1) while you cream the butter and the sugars together with your mixer (image 2). Make sure to stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula occasionally so that all the ingredients are properly mixed (image 3).

Step 2: Add the egg and molasses to the mixer bowl (image 4) and beat it in. Then add the dry ingredients (image 5). The gingerbread dough will be quite thick (image 6).

Step 3: Divide the dough into three equal portions using a kitchen scale (image 7), then shape each portion of dough into a log (image 8). Each log will measure about 8 inches (20 cm) (image 9). Wrap the logs of gingerbread cookie dough tightly in plastic wrap before chilling overnight (image 10).

Step 4: Roll the chilled logs in turbinado sugar to coat them all around (imamge 11). The slice into rounds on a cutting board using a Chef's knife (image 12).

Tip: If you find that your turbinado sugar isn't adhering well to the logs of cookie dough, you can brush the log with a little egg white before rolling in coarse sugar. The egg white will help the sugar stick.

Step 5: Space out the rounds of cookie dough on parchment-lined half-sheet pans (image 13). Then bake until set (image 14).

Gingerbread Cookie FAQs

Other Gingerbread Recipes

If you are a fan of gingerbread and molasses-flavoured baked goods, here are some of my favourites to try:

• For roll and cut-out gingerbread people,
  • my fave recipe for classic gingerbread cookie cutouts
  • matcha gingerbread cookie variation
• For muffins, try these gingerbread muffins with cranberries
• For stamped cookies, try these soft gingerbread cookies stamped with fancy and festive cookie stamps and topped with a lemon glaze
• For a soft gingerbread variation, try these German gingerbread cookies
• For drop cookies, these chewy molasses cookies are easy and always a hit, as are these ginger cookies with white chocolate
• For a cake version, try this gingerbread sheet cake topped with white chocolate cream cheese frosting and homemade lemon curd
• For something a little more subtle, simple sugar cookies are also always a hit, whether you feel like decorating or not, and feel free to modify them to make spiced sugar cookies, flavourful but lighter without the earthy molasses!

If you tried this recipe for slice-and-bake gingerbread cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Easy Gingerbread Cookies (Slice and Bake)

These easy gingerbread cookies are a twist on the classic, but in slice-and-bake format to make your life easier! Make the dough ahead of time, then slice and bake when you are ready for cookies!

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Cook Time 13 minutes minutes

Chill time 12 hours hours

Total Time 33 minutes minutes

Servings 85 cookies

Calories 30kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Ingredients

• 250 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 15 mL ground cinnamon
• 3.75 mL ground ginger
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 2.5 mL ground nutmeg
• 0.625 mL ground cloves
• 115 grams unsalted butter room termperature
• 100 grams light brown sugar
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 30 mL Fancy molasses
• 1 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• Turbinado sugar lots

Metric - US

Instructions

• Whisk together the flour, salt, and spices. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy. Mix in the molasses, the egg, and the vanilla, and beat everything together for 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• Add the dry ingredients to the mixer bowl, mixing on low until everything is evenly combined and you have a soft dough.
• Divide the dough into three and roll each dough into a log of about 8-inches long. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and chill overnight.
• Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190 °C) and line a couple of baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Just before baking, remove one log of dough from the fridge, unwrap it and roll log into a shallow plate of turbinado to coat sides.
• Slice cookies fairly thin (⅛–¼ inch or 3–6 mm thick) and place them on the prepared baking sheets. Chill in the fridge for 15 minutes if your kitchen is warm.
• Bake until the edges begin to brown slightly, about 13 minutes. Repeat with remaining logs of dough.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• You can replace the fancy molasses with baking molasses, light molasses, Treacle, honey, or even maple syrup.
• For more ginger flavour, you can mix diced crystallized ginger into the cookie dough before dividing and shaping into logs.
• If your turbinado sugar doesn't stick to the edges of the logs of dough, brush on a little egg white to help it adhere better.
• For a softer texture, insert a soaked brown sugar saver (terracotta disk) in the container of cookies. After 24 hours, they will have softened.
• Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 350 °F (175 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.

Nutrition

Calories: 30kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 0.4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.3g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 5mg | Sodium: 16mg | Potassium: 15mg | Fiber: 0.2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 0.2mg

The post Easy Gingerbread Cookies (slice and bake) appeared first on The Bake School.

These coconut shortbread cookies are very buttery with a delightfully crisp texture and a little chew courtesy of the shredded coconut and slightly higher sugar content of traditional shortbread. These butter cookies are a variation of the kitchen sink cookie, which we've also explored in cakes via Christina Tosi's compost pound cake.

Ingredients

The beauty of these buttery coconut shortbread cookies is that they are made from pantry items and butter. These are eggless cookies, which makes them vegetarian-friendly for those who don't eat eggs!

• butter—I tested this recipe with unsalted butter. If using salted butter, you may want to adjust the salt.
• sugar—I've tested this recipe with all granulated sugar and with a combination of granulated and light brown sugar (50/50). It all works, but I like the clean, sweet taste of white granulated sugar here so that the add-ins (coconut, chocolate chips, and toffee bits) can shine
• salt—I bake with Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using table salt, add half the amount or the cookies may be too salty!
• vanilla—these butter cookies have two full teaspoons of vanilla extract for the most flavour. If using artificial, you may want to use less
• flour—I always bake with bleached all-purpose flour though you may be able to use unbleached
• coconut—use finely shredded coconut, the kind that is great for macaroons (preferably unsweetened)
• chocolate chips—I prefer to bake these with mini chocolate chips so make rolling and cutting the cookies much easier. Big chocolate chips would be too bulky.
• toffee bits—toffee bits are sometimes referred to as Heath bits or Skor bits. They are tiny chopped-up pieces of crunchy toffee bar.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Variations and Substitutions

With shortbread cookie cutouts, you have to be very careful about making changes because these changes may lead to your cookies spreading as they bake.

• Coconut: If you don't like coconut, you can try to replace it with ground almond. I think this should work though I have not tested this combination
• Chocolate chips: use mini chocolate chips. I love these cookies with dark chocolate chips, but mini white chocolate chips would be very tasty (and quite different)
• Toffee bits: Skor and Heath bars are usually coated in chocolate but these are not. Still, you could finely chop a toffee chocolate bar if you can't find toffee bits.

How to Make Butter Cookies with Coconut and Chocolate Chips

To make these buttery coconut shortbread cookies, you will use the creaming mixing method. I prefer to do this in a stand mixer, which does a better job of creaming the butter until fluffy, especially in the colder winter months, where room temperature tends to be cooler and the butter more firm.

Step 1—Start by making the butter cookie dough by creaming together the butter, sugar and salt (image 1) until fluffy and light before adding the vanilla (image 2), then stir in the flour and coconut (image 3) and finally the toffee bits and chocolate chips (image 4). Let the mixer run on low until the dough comes together and it's evenly mixed, but still a little crumbly.

Step 2—Split the dough into two equal pieces (roughly 365 grams each) and transfer each half to a sheet of plastic wrap (image 5) and use your hands to shape the dough into disks (image 6) before wrapping and refrigerating until firm.

Step 3—Roll out the chilled cookie dough to about ¼ inch thick using a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface (image 7), then cut out into cookies using cookie cutters (image 8). I used snowflake cookie cutters.

Step 4—Transfer the cookies to parchment-lined sheet pans (image 9) spacing them out evenly. I fit 8 to 10 cookies per half-sheet pan. Bake until the edges are golden brown (image 10).

Top Cutout Cookie Tip

To ensure cutout cookies keep their shape when baked. Chill the cutouts before baking them. I like to roll out the two disks of dough and cut out all the cookies at once, placing them on smaller cookie sheets. I chill the cutout cookies for 15 to 30 minutes until very firm, then transfer them to half-sheet pans one batch at a time.

Baking cookies with toffee bits will inevitably lead to some blowouts where the toffee bits on the edge of the cookie melt, distorting the shape a little. You can use the tip of a mini offset spatula to gently push the edges back in, fixing the shape a little when the cookies are still hot and delicate.

More Christmas Baking Ideas

If you tried this recipe for the best coconut butter cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Toffee Chocolate Coconut Butter Cookies

These cookies are very popular. They are quite like shortbread in texture. They are buttery and flavoured with Skor bits, mini chocolate chips, and coconut

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 37 minutes minutes

Servings 36 cookies

Calories 109kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• OXO kitchen scale
• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• Snowflake cookie cutter
• Sheet pan
• Mini offset

Ingredients

• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 100 grams granulated sugar
• 10 mL pure vanilla extract
• 220 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 90 grams mini chocolate chips
• 90 grams finely shredded unsweetened coconut or regular shredded coconut finely ground in a mini food processor
• 75 grams toffee bits

Metric - US

Instructions

• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter, sugar, and salt. Add the vanilla extract and mix it in, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
• Add the flour and coconut, and mix the dough until it is crumbly.
• Dump in the mini chocolate chips and toffee bits, and mix on low until the dough clumps together.
• Split the dough in two, and flatten each half into a disk. Wrap and chill them for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.
• Preheat the oven to 350 ºF (175 °C). Line half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
• Working with one disk of cookie dough at a time, roll it to about ¼ inch thick (~6.5 mm). If it cracks, just press it back together. Cut with snowflake or star cookie cutters and transfer to the baking sheet.
• Bake the cookies for about 12 minutes, or until the edges begin to turn golden brown. Let cookies cool for 10 minutes on the pan before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Notes

• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• For the best texture and to make cutting out the cookies easier, please use mini chocolate chips and toffee bits if you can. Regular chocolate chips are too bulky.
• Use finely shredded coconut (like for macaroons) for these cookies, again to make cutting out the cookies neater and easier.
• You can replace the mini dark chocolate chips with mini white chocolate chips if you can find them.
• You can try replacing the shredded coconut with ground almond, but this may affect the texture and will require some testing first.
• I have tested this recipe with all granulated sugar and also half granulated, half light brown sugar. Both work great!
• Please note that I bake with uncoated aluminum sheet pans that are light in colour. If you are baking this recipe with darker bakeware, you may have to drop the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) to prevent your baked goods from browning too quickly.
• If the toffee bits melt and spread along the edges, you can gently push them back using a mini offset spatula when the cookies are hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 109kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 13mg | Sodium: 23mg | Potassium: 23mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 150IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 0.4mg

Hershey's CHIPITS offered me financial compensation to develop a recipe with their line of chocolate & flavoured chips.

The post Toffee Chocolate Coconut Butter Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.

There was a scandal years ago when the New York Times shared a photo of Nanaimo bars, where the filling-to-crust-to-topping ratio was off, and Canadians let them know! My best Nanaimo bars recipe has roughly equal parts crust and filling with a thin, but not too thin chocolate layer on top. I hope my fellow Canadians will approve!

There are many variations for classic Nanaimo bars. If you'd like to try my favourite twist on this classic Canadian dessert, try these white chocolate Nanaimo bars which have a dark chocolate custard filling and a sweet graham cracker coconut base.

Ingredients

There are a few key ingredients that make Nanaimo bars standout. Here's what you need to make this recipe:

• dark chocolate—use good quality dark chocolate that you like to eat. Dark chocolate chips are fine, but I much prefer to use 70 % dark chocolate with a more complex flavour.
• butter—unsalted butter is preferable in this recipe because I find the crust can be too salty if you use salted butter
• graham cracker crumbs—you can either make your own crumbs from graham crackers or buy the crumbs.
• coconut—sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut work here, interchangeably
• nuts—I prefer walnuts in my Nanaimo bar crust recipe
• egg—I bake with large eggs and if you use a smaller (or bigger) egg, the crust may have a slightly different texture
• cocoa powder—I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder, specifically Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder which is a rich cocoa powder with a reddish tint (around 22 % fat)
• sugar—use icing sugar for the smoothest filling and granulated sugar for the base
• cream—you need to use milk or cream to create a smooth, spreadable filling. I prefer to use whipping cream (35 % fat)
• custard powder—I used Bird's custard powder
• vanilla—I used pure vanilla extract
• salt—most Nanaimo bars have no salt added. I like to add a very small amount of salt to the filling to help it pop. I use Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount because it's saltier.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Instructions

There are three components to Nanaimo bars: a crust, a filling (sometimes called icing) and a chocolate topping. Here's what you need to do to make perfect Nanaimo bars

Step 1—Prepare the base for the Nanaimo bars by first melting the butter with cocoa powder (image 1) before stirring in the egg and vanilla off the heat (image 2). Meanwhile, combine the dry ingredients in a separate bowl or a food processor before mixing them into the saucepan (image 3). The crust mixture will form a somewhat greasy crumble (image 4).

Step 2—Line a metal 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang and transfer the crust mixture to the pan (image 5). Press it out using a flat-bottomed glass until smoothed out from edge to edge (image 6). Bake it until the crust is no longer glossy (image 7).

Note: I like to use metal binder clips to secure the parchment paper in place as the crust bakes. Do not use plastic as it may melt or break down.

Step 3—While the crust is cooling down, you can make the Nanaimo bar custard filling by first creaming the butter until smooth and creamy (image 8) then sift in the dry ingredients (image 9) and add the cream and vanilla (image 10), mixing everything together until smooth and thick (image 11).

Step 4—Spread the custard filling over the cooled crust using an offset spatula (image 12). Make the filling as smooth as possible (image 13). Freeze the bars at this stage to set the filling and to create a cold surface for the chocolate.

Note: Make sure the crust is completely cooled before topping with the custard icing. I like to pop the crust in the freezer before topping with the custard to ensure it is cold so the custard won't melt.

Step 5—Melt the butter with the dark chocolate over a double boiler (image 14), stirring until smooth and emulsified (image 15), then pour it over the chilled pan of bars and spread it with a mini offset spatula (image 16). You can use the offset spatula to make a swirly design on top if you'd like (image 17). Chill until almost completely set before scoring and cutting into squares.

Step 6—Use a ruler and a pastry cutter or a large chef's knife to score through the chocolate topping before cutting into squares (image 18; then, you can cut through the bars completely and cleanly along the score lines. Clean the bench scraper or knife with every cut to ensure you get clean layers. Run a thin knife along the edges to release the bars from the pan sides with no parchment paper.

Hint: Sometimes I am too lazy to unmould the bars before scoring, but as you can see, my squares are not as even as they could be. It's much easier to make even, clean cuts if you remove the bars from the pan using the parchment paper overhang, then place them on a cutting board to score and cut them evenly. Trust me!

If you tried this recipe for Nanaimo bars (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Nanaimo Bars

Learn how to make the classic Canadian Nanaimo bars with this easy recipe! These bars have a chocolate graham cracker and coconut crust with a sweet vanilla custard filling and dark chocolate topping.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings 16 squares

Calories 346kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• Food processor
• Mini offset

Ingredients

For the crust

• 115 grams unsalted butter melted
• 50 grams granulated sugar
• 30 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder chopped
• 1 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 200 grams graham cracker crumbs
• 75 grams sweetened shredded coconut
• 60 grams walnuts chopped

For the vanilla custard Nanaimo bar filling

• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 250 grams icing sugar
• 30 tablespoon Bird's custard powder
• 45 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

For the dark chocolate topping

• 175 grams dark chocolate (70 % cocoa content) chopped
• 15 grams unsalted butter

Metric - US

Instructions

For the chocolate graham cracker coconut crust

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Prepare a 9×9-inch (23x23-cm) pan by lining it with parchment paper leaving an overhang. Use all-metal binder clips to secure in place if necessary or alternatively you can butter the pan to help keep the paper in place. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the cocoa powder, then the egg and vanilla
• Meanwhile in a medium bowl or in the bowl of the food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and walnuts. Stir in the melted butter mixture and mix to combine.
• Press the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and use a flat-bottomed glass to flatten the crust into an even layer.
• Bake the crust until it looks dry and no longer glosser (about 15 minutes). Place the pan on a wire rack to let the crust cool completely.

For the vanilla custard filling

• When the crust is cooled, make the vanilla custard filling by creaming the butter first before sifting in the icing sugar and custard powder. Add the cream and vanilla also.
• Beat the mixture until smooth and continue whipping for about 5 minutes. This will lead to a less powdery/grainy filling with a smoother texture. You can adjust the consistency of the filling with either more icing sugar (if it's too soft) or more cream (if it's too firm). The filling should be very thick.
• Spread the custard filling over the cold graham cracker crust. Place it in the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes.

For the dark chocolate layer

• When the filling is completely cold and firm, make the chocolate topping by melting together the dark chocolate with the butter over a pan of simmering water (double-boiler) or in the microwave. Make sure to stir often so nothing burns.
• Pour the melted chocolate over the filling and spread it out quickly with an offset spatula.
• Refrigerate the pan for about 15 minutes to partially set the chocolate, then with a sharp knife, cut through the white chocolate top layer into 16–25 squares to make cutting easier later on.
• Refrigerate for another hour or so, until the chocolate is completely hardened.
• Cut the squares along the score lines to serve. Wipe the knife between cuts for the cleanest edges.

Notes

• For the dark chocolate, I used Cacao Barry 70 % dark chocolate
• For the cocoa powder, I used Cacao Barry extra brute, which you can buy on Amazon
• For the graham cracker crumbs—you can replace the graham cracker crumbs with vanilla wafer crumbs or crumbs made from social tea biscuits. The flavour will be different but still pleasant. You can enhance the crust with a little cinnamon if using vanilla cookies instead to mimic the spices in graham crackers.
• For the custard powder—I always have a box of Bird's custard powder on hand for Nanaimo bars. If you can't find custard powder, your best bet would be to replace the custard powder with vanilla pudding mix. It's not quite the same as custard powder has egg in it, but it's close enough!
• For the nuts—I used walnuts for the crust, but you can use any nuts. Pistachios, almonds, or pecans would be really lovely (though more expensive). Make sure to chop them finely.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• I cut my pan of Nanaimo bars into 16 big squares, but sometimes I cut the squares into 32 bars, or even 64 bite-size squares. It's up to you how big or how small you make them. 
• Mint Nanaimo bars—for mint Nanaimo bars, replace the vanilla in the filling with up to 10 mL (2 teaspoons) of mint or peppermint extract. You may also want to skip the custard powder for this variation. Up to you! Some will also add green food colouring the the mint filling, but I do not.
• Chocolate Nanaimo bars—for an all-chocolate version, use the dark chocolate custard filling from the reversed Nanaimo bars with the chocolate base and dark chocolate topping below.
• For a nut-free version—replace the nuts with extra coconut or incorporate pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds in their place. Use the same volume.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 100mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 27mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Nanaimo Bars appeared first on The Bake School.

A typical Canadian Nanaimo bar is made up of a dark chocolate/graham cracker crumb/coconut/walnut crust with a sweet, thick vanilla custard filling and a dark chocolate top. The reversed Nanaimo bars are kind of opposite to that, so a white chocolate/graham/coconut/almond crust with a deep dark chocolate custard filling and a white chocolate top.

Honestly, I think I like the reversed Nanaimo bar variation better than the original. It's still got the flavours of the classic Canadian dessert but somehow this version seems less sweet! Try them and let me know what you think?

Ingredients

Just like the classic Canadian Nanaimo bars, these white chocolate Nanaimo bars are made from simple ingredients that you likely have on hand. Here's what you need to make these:

• white chocolate—use good quality white chocolate that you like to eat. White chocolate chips are actually not chocolate, so I prefer to use real white chocolate made with cocoa butter
• butter—unsalted butter is preferable in this recipe because I find the crust can be too salty if you use salted butter
• graham cracker crumbs—you can either make your own crumbs from graham crackers or buy the crumbs
• coconut—sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut work here, interchangeably
• nuts—I like sliced almonds in the crust recipe
• egg—I bake with large eggs and if you use a smaller (or bigger) egg, the crust may have a slightly different texture
• cocoa powder—I used Dutch-processed cocoa powder, specifically Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder which is a rich cocoa powder with a reddish tint (around 22 % fat)
• sugar—use icing sugar for the smoothest filling
• cream—you need to use milk or cream to create a smooth, spreadable filling. I prefer to use whipping cream (35 % fat)
• custard powder—I used Bird's custard powder
• vanilla—I used pure vanilla extract
• salt—most Nanaimo bars have no salt added. I like to add a very small amount of salt to the filling to help it pop. I use Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount because it's saltier.

Please see the recipe card for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

The beauty of Nanaimo bars is that you have some flexibility when it comes to the ingredients, whether you are making the classic or this reversed version. Here are some suggestions of where you can deviate:

• Graham cracker crumbs—you can replace the graham cracker crumbs with vanilla wafer crumbs or crumbs made from social tea biscuits. The flavour will be different but still pleasant. You can enhance the crust with a little cinnamon if using vanilla cookies instead to mimic the spices in graham crackers.
• Custard powder—I always have a box of Bird's custard powder on hand for Nanaimo bars. If you can't find custard powder, your best bet would be to replace the custard powder with vanilla pudding mix. It's not quite the same as custard powder has egg in it, but it's close enough!
• Nuts—I used sliced almonds for the crust, but you can use any nuts. Pistachios would be really lovely (though more expensive). Make sure to chop them finely.
• Coconut—you can use sweetened or unsweetened coconut, but I find the base is a little more flavourful with sweetened coconut. Use a finer shred coconut to make cutting the bars easier.
• For a nut-free version—replace the nuts with extra coconut or incorporate pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds in their place. Use the same volume.

Step 1—Prepare the base for the Nanaimo bars by first melting the butter before stirring in the white chocolate (image 1) while you combine the dry ingredients in the bowl of a food processor (image 2) or a medium bowl, then stir in the melted butter mixture to form a somewhat greasy crumble (image 3). You can do this step either in the food processor or a bowl by hand.

Step 2—Line a metal 9x9 baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang (image 4) then transfer the crust mixture to the pan and press it out using a flat-bottomed glass until smoothed out from edge to edge (image 5). Bake it until the crust is no longer glossy (image 6). I like to use metal binder clips to secure the parchment paper in place.

Note: Do not use plastic binder clips of any kind because they may melt or break down in the oven. Use all-metal clips.

Step 3—While the crust is cooling down, you can make the dark chocolate Nanaimo bar filling by first creaming the butter until smooth and creamy (image 7) then sift in the dry ingredients (image 8) and add the cream and vanilla (image 9), mixing everything together until smooth and thick (image 10).

Step 4—Spread the dark chocolate custard filling over the cooled crust using an offset spatula (image 11). Make the chocolate filling as smooth as possible (image 12).

Step 5—Melt the butter with the white chocolate over a double-boiler (image 13), stirring until smooth (image 14), then pour it over the chilled pan of bars and spread it with a mini offset spatula (image 15). You can use the offset spatula to make a swirly design on top if you'd like. Chill until almost completely set before scoring and cutting (image 16).

Tip: Make sure the chocolate layer is properly chilled before topping with melted white chocolate.

Step 6—I prefer to unmould the bars from the pan at this stage so that I have more room to neatly cut the bars into squares. You will need to run a knife along the edges without parchment to release them. Then, use a ruler and a pastry cutter or a large chef's knife to cut out the squares. Start by scoring the white chocolate layer and then you can use the pastry cutter to cut through cleanly to the bottom (image 17). Clean the bench scraper and knife with every cut to ensure you get clean layers.

Nanaimo Bar FAQs

Other Bar Recipes to Try

Looking for other bar recipes like this to bake? Try these:

If you tried this recipe for the best reversed Nanaimo bars (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Reversed Nanaimo Bars with White Chocolate

Learn how to make reversed Nanaimo bars with white chocolate! These are like the opposite of the classic Canadian Nanaimo bars and have a dark chocolate custard filling and white chocolate topping all set over a coconut graham cracker crumb crust.

Course Dessert

Cuisine Canadian

Prep Time 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Chill time 1 hour hour

Total Time 40 minutes minutes

Servings 16 squares

Calories 445kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 9x9-inch pan
• Food processor
• Mini offset

Ingredients

For the crust

• 115 grams unsalted butter melted
• 60 grams white chocolate chopped
• 200 grams graham cracker crumbs
• 75 grams sweetened shredded coconut
• 60 grams sliced almonds
• 1 large egg(s)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract

For the filling

• 115 grams unsalted butter softened
• 220 grams icing sugar
• 90 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 30 tablespoon Bird's custard powder
• 45 mL whipping cream (35 % fat)
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract
• 1.25 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt

For the white chocolate layer

• 175 grams white chocolate chopped
• 5 grams unsalted butter

Metric - US

Instructions

For the crust

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (175 °C). Prepare a 9×9-inch (23x23-cm) pan by lining it with parchment paper leaving an overhang. Use all-metal binder clips to secure in place if necessary or alternatively you can butter the pan to help keep the paper in place. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, melt together the butter and the white chocolate.
• Meanwhile in a medium bowl or in the bowl of the food processor, combine the graham cracker crumbs, coconut, and almonds. Stir in the melted butter and white chocolate and mix to combine, then stir in the egg and vanilla.
• Press the crumb mixture into the prepared pan and use a flat-bottomed glass to flatten the crust into an even layer.
• Bake the crust until it looks dry and no longer glosser (about 15 minutes). Place the pan on a wire rack to let the crust cool completely.

For the filling

• When the crust is cooled, make the dark chocolate custard filling by creaming the butter first before sifting in the cocoa powder, icing sugar, and custard powder cream. Add the cream and vanilla also.
• Beat the mixture until smooth and continue whipping for about 5 minutes. This will lead to a less powdery/grainy filling with a smoother texture. You can adjust the consistency of the filling with either more icing sugar (if it's too soft) or more cream (if it's too firm). The filling should be very thick.
• Spread the dark chocolate filling over the cold graham cracker crust. Place it in the refrigerator to set for at least 1 hour or in the freezer for 15 minutes.

For the white chocolate layer

• When the filling is completely cold and firm, make the white chocolate topping by melting together the white chocolate with the butter over a pan of simmering water (double-boiler) or in the microwave. Make sure to stir often so nothing burns.
• Pour the melted chocolate over the filling and spread it out quickly with an offset spatula.
• Refrigerate the pan for about 15 minutes to partially set the chocolate, then with a sharp knife, cut through the white chocolate top layer into 16–25 squares to make cutting easier later on.
• Refrigerate for another hour or so, until the chocolate is completely hardened.
• Cut the squares along the score lines to serve. Wipe the knife between cuts for the cleanest edges.

Notes

• For the white chocolate, I used Cacao Barry white chocolate, which you can find on Amazon
• For the cocoa powder, I used Cacao Barry extra brute, which you can buy on Amazon
• For the graham cracker crumbs—you can replace the graham cracker crumbs with vanilla wafer crumbs or crumbs made from social tea biscuits. The flavour will be different but still pleasant. You can enhance the crust with a little cinnamon if using vanilla cookies instead to mimic the spices in graham crackers.
• For the custard powder—I always have a box of Bird's custard powder on hand for Nanaimo bars. If you can't find custard powder, your best bet would be to replace the custard powder with vanilla pudding mix. It's not quite the same as custard powder has egg in it, but it's close enough!
• For the nuts—I used sliced almonds for the crust, but you can use any nuts. Pistachios would be really lovely (though more expensive). Make sure to chop them finely.
• For a nut-free version—replace the nuts with extra coconut or incorporate pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds in their place. Use the same volume.
• This recipe calls for Diamond Crystal fine Kosher salt. If using regular table salt, add half the amount or the recipe may be too salty!
• Note a version of reversed Nanaimo bars was originally published in Canadian Living Holiday Special Baking Edition. It was where I got the idea, but I adapted the method and ratios I used for my classic Nanaimo bars recipe for this one.

Nutrition

Calories: 445kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.5g | Cholesterol: 121mg | Sodium: 191mg | Potassium: 344mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 489IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 123mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Reversed Nanaimo Bars with White Chocolate appeared first on The Bake School.

There are two types of sugar cookies that you can make: the drop kind (dough scooped into balls and rolled in sugar before baking) and the cutout kind (dough rolled out into a sheet and cut out with cookie cutters), like these easy cutout sugar cookies.

This drop chocolate sugar cookie recipe makes perfect sugar cookies that are so delicious! If you like the texture and look of these chocolate sugar cookies, you should definitely check out these chocolate snickerdoodle cookies, maple sugar cookies and molasses cookies, which all have a similar texture and appearance.  These are quite different than these chocolate crackle cookies, which are more of a brownie cookie and coated in powdered sugar.

Soft Chocolate Sugar Cookie Ingredients

If you want to make chocolate sugar cookies that are soft and chewy, you will need the following ingredients:

• butter, preferably unsalted butter because you will add salt to the dough, but if you have salted, it will work. Just adjust the salt in the recipe accordingly, otherwise your cookies may be too salty
• granulated sugar is needed to coat the scoops of cookie dough to give these cookies a cracked surface and also in the cookie dough
• dark brown sugar adds flavour but also helps make these cookies soft
• large eggs—don't use smaller eggs because your cookie dough may be too dry and your cookies won't spread enough, but don't use extra large eggs because they could cause the cookie dough to puff too much as it bakes, leading to a more cakey cookie
• all-purpose flour is needed to bind all the ingredients together and give the cookies structure, contributing to the chewiness of the cookies as well. If you don't use enough flour, your cookies may spread too much as they bake
• cocoa powder—this recipe was tested specifically with Dutch-processed cocoa powder, contributing the dark chocolate flavour that you need to balance out the sweet flavour of sugar cookies. I like to use Cacao Barry Extra Brute cocoa powder, which is a dark cocoa powder with a rich flavour.
• baking soda is a base (alkaline) and contributes to that signature cracked finish that we expect of the best chocolate sugar cookies. You need baking soda for the cookies to spread properly and to crack. Do not use baking powder. Read up on baking soda vs baking powder if you are unsure
• salt is really important to balance out the sweet molasses flavour. Don't skip it. I like to use Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt, but table salt will work, though the cookies will be saltier and you may want to halve the salt in that case.

Please refer to the recipe card below for the exact ingredients and quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

• Cocoa powder: You should use dark cocoa powder, like Cacao Barry Extra Brute for this recipe. The cocoa powder should be Dutch-processed, meaning it was treated with a base to raise the pH of the cocoa, leading to a darker colour and a richer flavour.
• Do not use "natural" cocoa powder for this recipe. The pH of natural cocoa powder is lower and this may affect the texture and how the cookies spread in the oven. You may have to do a few tests to see if it works in this recipe.
• Sugar coating—try rolling these in cinnamon sugar to create cinnamon chocolate sugar cookies.

How to Make Drop Chocolate Sugar Cookies

These chocolate sugar cookies are scooped like typical drop cookies. The dough requires little to no chilling (30 minutes or less depending on if your dough is too soft to scoop and roll). You can make the dough and bake it right away! Please note that this is not a chocolate sugar cookie that is rolled out before cutting with cookie cutters.

Here's how to make these:

Step 1: Cream the butter and sugars in a mixer bowl using the paddle attachment (image 1) or using an electric hand mixer until fluffy (image 2) before adding in the egg (image 3).

Step 2: In a separate bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, leavening agents and salt) (image 4), then add it to the mixer bowl with the creamed ingredients (image 5). Stir it in to make a thick chocolate sugar cookie dough (image 6).

Step 3: To make perfect sugar cookies with an even size, I highly recommend using a 22 mL (¾ ounce) cookie scoop (also referred to as a disher) to portion out the cookies (image 7). Each scoop of dough should weigh roughly 30 grams. Roll the scoops in a shallow dish of sugar to coat them.

Step 4: Place the coated chocolate sugar cookies on a sheet pan. I can fit eight cookies on one half-sheet pan (image 8). Then, bake them until the surface has cracked and the cookies have spread out nicely (image 9).

Pro Tip

Bake your cookies on light-coloured aluminum pans to help the cookies spread out just enough before the edges set and crack. If you use sheet pans with a darker finish, you may have to drop the oven temperature by 25 ºF so that the cookies bake properly without setting too quickly.

Baking FAQs

Make Ahead Cookie Tips

If you are wondering if you can make this cookie dough a day ahead and refrigerate it overnight to bake the next day. You can! Portion out the dough into scoops and refrigerate them on a parchment-lined sheet pan covered in plastic wrap overnight. While the oven is preheating, take the scoops of dough out of the fridge and roll them in granulated sugar. You may need to add a couple of minutes to the baking time if the scoops of cookie dough are still very cold when they go into the oven.

If you'd like to freeze the chocolate sugar cookie dough, portion it out into balls, then freeze them in a single layer before storing them in a freezer bag. When you want to bake them, I like to defrost the scoops overnight in the refrigerator (or in a pinch, do so at room temperature for 20–30 minutes while the oven preheats), then roll them in sugar before baking.

If you notice your cookies aren't spreading enough, it's likely the dough is too cold and combined with the hot oven, the edges set before they have a chance to spread. To fix this, try dropping the oven temperature to 325 °F (165 °C) when baking cookie dough from frozen, and add a few more minutes to the bake time to promote a little more spreading.

Other Crinkle Cookie Recipes

Crinkle and crackle cookies are completely irresistible! Here's a rundown of other cookie recipes that crack when they bake!

If you tried this recipe for chocolate sugar cookies (or any other recipe on my website), please leave a ⭐ star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below. I love hearing from you!

📖 Recipe

Print

Chocolate Sugar Cookies

This easy recipe makes the best chocolate sugar cookies with a soft and chewy texture and a cracked surface. These are very popular at Christmas time on Christmas cookie platters and dessert buffets. 

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes minutes

Total Time 27 minutes minutes

Servings 24 cookies

Calories 132kcal

Author Janice Lawandi

Equipment

• 5-quart KitchenAid Artisan mixer
• OXO balloon whisk
• ¾ oz scoop
• Sheet pan

Ingredients

• 218 grams bleached all-purpose flour
• 47 grams Cacao Barry extra brute cocoa powder
• 7.5 mL baking soda
• 2.5 mL Diamond Crystal fine kosher salt
• 173 grams unsalted butter room temperature
• 150 grams dark brown sugar
• 100 grams granulated sugar plus 50 grams (¼ cup) more for rolling
• 1 large egg(s) room temperature
• 5 mL pure vanilla extract

Metric - US

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C). Line large baking sheets with parchment.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the remaining butter the brown sugar, and the 100 grams (½ cup) of granulated sugar until it is light and fluffy (takes at least 3 minutes). Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix again.
• Add the egg and vanilla, and beat them in until the mixture is smooth and light.
• Add the flour mixture slowly, on low speed and mix until the dough is combined.
• Put the remaining 50 grams of sugar in a shallow bowl.
• Roll scoops of cookie dough into balls and then coat them in sugar. Place each sugar-coated scoop of dough on a cookie sheet, spacing them out every 1.5 inches. You should be able to fit 8 per sheet pan.
• Bake the cookies for 12 minutes or so, until they have puffed and cracked and are just beginning to set in the middle. Let cool for 5 minutes to firm up before transferring to a rack to cool completely.

Notes

• Use Dutch-processed cocoa powder, which has a darker colour and richer flavour. Natural cocoa powder is more acidic and may affect the texture and appearance of these cookies.
• If your chocolate cookie dough is too soft, you may chill it briefly for about 30 minutes. I have never needed to, but you may have to especially if your kitchen is warm.
• Use a ¾ ounce scoop to evenly portion out perfect scoops of dough. You can smooth them out by rolling them briefly between your palms.
• Do not overbake these cookies because they will dry out.
• These cookies are best eaten within 2–3 days because they may dry out and become more crispy. 

Nutrition

Calories: 132kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 22mg | Sodium: 132mg | Potassium: 53mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 190IU | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Chocolate Sugar Cookies appeared first on The Bake School.