During fall 2015, I was watching some Food Network show that visited a bakery in Maine (I believe) and mentioned a chocolate cornmeal molasses cookie. It sounded so amazing, I instantly Googled for a recipe. I found one that sounded good, and made it for last year’s new years party at my friend’s house. We all raved over it.
And then somehow, I completely forgot about it. For a year. Last week I was trying to decide what to bake for the new year’s party, and I looked back to last year’s blog post for a refresher. I found a mention of this cookie, and remembered how much we enjoyed them. Annoyingly, however, I hadn’t linked to the recipe and had just left a note that I’d made some changes. I couldn’t easily find the recipe at my house, and couldn’t find any notes about the actual changes I’d made.
So I tried to re-create the scene. I did the same Google search, and thankfully recognized one of the recipes that came up. Looking at it, I remembered two of the changes I’d made – I had accidentally doubled the amount of cornmeal, and also added an egg. Looking at last year’s pictures, I also knew that I had rolled the log in turbinado sugar.
I made a couple other tweaks this year, and brought it to the party. Again, we really enjoyed it. I’m so thankful to finally share this recipe, I hope you’ll give it a try.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, at room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons molasses
- 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup cornmeal
- 1/3 cup cocoa powder (see note)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Turbinado sugar, or other decorative sugar, for rolling
Instructions
- With a stand or hand mixer, cream the butter and granulated sugar together until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, and cream until fully mixed. Add the egg, and beat until fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and molasses. (Tip: spray the tablespoon measure with nonstick spray before measuring the molasses, and it will slide right out!)
- Slowly add the dry ingredients until everything is fully incorporated. It will feel a bit stiff, but will hold together well and be slightly sticky.
- Scrape the mixture onto a countertop, and slightly mix with your hands to make sure everything is uniform. Divide the dough in half, and roll each into a log about 1" to 1-1/2" in diameter. Roll the log in turbinado sugar (or another coarse or decorative sugar, if you'd prefer), and then roll the log in plastic wrap and place in the fridge. You want to refrigerate it for at least an hour, until it's firmed up, although you can speed it up by placing it in the freezer instead. You can also wrap the dough tightly at this point and freeze it for later use.
- When your dough is chilled and ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Using a sharp knife, cut 1/4" slices of dough, rotating the log after each cut to help maintain the round shape. Place slices on a baking sheet, leaving some room for spreading.
- Bake for about 8 minutes, until the center is puffed and feels firm to the touch (cookie springs back).
- Note: I originally used 1/2 cup cocoa, but some felt that the chocolate was a little too intense, which is why I've dropped it to 1/3 in the recipe. If you like an intense chocolate cookie, you might prefer to use 1/2 cup.
I too saw the show when this cookie was featured. Jotted down main ingredients and put that paper in the recipe box until now. Searching to try and find the actual recipe and here it is. Thanks so much, and now can make them.