This week for work I’m baking a batch of spiced molasses cookies. The recipe is based on a Cooks Illustrated one (available online for subscribers, or in the ATK Baking book p161).

For the cookies:

• 2/3 cup raisins
• 1 tbsp dark rum
• 11 1/4 oz plain flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp table salt
• 2 1/2 oz golden caster sugar
• 2 1/2 oz dark brown sugar
• 170g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6oz molasses
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar for dipping

For the glaze:

• 4 1/2 oz icing sugar
• 21/2 – 3 tbsp dark rum

Oven to 170c fan. Whisk the dry ingredients together. Soak the raisins in the rum. Cream butter and sugars, then beat in the egg and vanilla, then the molases. Slowly mix in the flour mix, then finally add the raisins.

Form 1 tbsp balls and roll in granulated sugar, and put on lined baking tray.

Cook for 10 minutes, swapping half way through. They won’t look cooked when they come out: the top should be cracked, but inside it’ll look raw… but that’s how it’s meant to work. Let cool on the tray for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Once cooled move the cookies back to parchment, then make up the glaze, and drizzle over the cookies. Let set for 15 minutes before returning to the cooling rack.

They can be eaten now, and they’re very nice: chewy and spicy, with a lovely rum kick from the glaze. I’m going to leave the glaze to set more before packaging up between sheets of parchment for the journey to work on my bike tomorrow.