Molasses cookies have long been a favorite of mine. I have many memories of my mom making them and good times spent dipping freshly baked and still warm molasses cookies into a glass of whole milk. Pulling them back out of the milk the texture would be chewy-squishy and the flavor, as always, heavenly.
These have likewise become a favorite of my own children. I’m always experimenting with ways to create sweet treats and savory snacks for my kids that are more wholesome. So I’ve “healthified” this classic cookie and I’ll tell you what, any time I make these for my kids’ friends when they come over, they’ve never once questioned them – they simply gobble them up and ask for more.
Once you’ve tried these I’m sure you’ll agree that you’re not missing a thing by passing up the white flour and sugar. These Healthier Whole Grain Molasses Cookies have a fabulously chewy texture and phenomenal flavor!
I’m using a grain called EINKORN for these. What we know as wheat today has undergone a series of genetic changes over the years, all for the purpose of increasing both yield and gluten content (no surprise to the increase in gluten sensitivities). When you look at wheat’s DNA structure, it’s almost unidentifiable to its original ancestor – they’re almost completely different grains. You can even see the difference visually: Wheat, left (nearly double in length and paler in color) and Einkorn, right (smaller and darker in color).
So what is einkorn? Einkorn is the most ancient form of wheat on earth and hasn’t undergone any of these genetic changes. It is the purest form of wheat we have. It contains a different composition of gluten that our bodies are more easily able to digest, even more so than spelt (which is also an older form of wheat, but unlike einkorn has been altered numerous times over the years). In fact, many people with gluten sensitivities have found that they’re able to tolerate einkorn.
Additionally, most people who have tried einkorn agree that it tastes much better than wheat. You can purchase einkorn online HERE.
NOTE: You can use whichever whole grain you like for these cookies, but I highly recommend you give einkorn a try!
Okay, let’s get started!
In a large bowl, add the oil, coconut sugar, egg and molasses and beat until combined.
In another bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg and stir to combine.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined into a stiff dough.
Roll the batter into 1-inch balls and then roll the balls in cane sugar (this is optional). Place the balls on a lined cookie sheet spaced two inches apart.
Bake in the oven preheated to 350 degrees F and bake for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are crackly on top and a little darker around the edges.
Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to let cool.
Enjoy!
Healthier Whole Grain Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup olive or avocado oil (don't worry, you won't be able to taste the olive oil)
- 1 cup coconut sugar or equivalent dry sweetener of choice
- (My kids enjoy these with half the amount of sugar)
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 large egg
- 2 cups einkorn flour (or whole grain flour of choice)
- - see blog post for info about einkorn
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- organic cane sugar for rolling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, add the oil, coconut sugar, egg and molasses and beat until combined.In another bowl, add the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and nutmeg and stir to combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until combined into a stiff dough.
- Roll the batter into 1-inch balls and then roll the balls in cane sugar. Place the balls on a lined cookie sheet spaced two inches apart.Bake the cookies for 8-10 minutes until the cookies are crackly on top and a little darker around the edges.
Nat says
These look so delicious I can’t wait to try them! I cant find einkorn flour, do you think this would work with spelt flour?
Also, I was interested in substituting some of the oil with apple sauce, would that mess up the consistency?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Nat, yes, you can spelt flour or regular wheat flour, whichever you prefer. I haven’t tried the apple sauce substitution but if you try it let us know how it turns out!
Robyn says
These turned out nice using 1/2 cup of sugar. I also subbed flax egg for the egg. Unfortunately I definitely found that I could taste the olive oil and would recommend using a more neutral oil.
Judy says
Hi Kimberly,
I just made these cookies, I have been using Einkorn flour for 5 or 6 years now. I love it but it is more challenging to bake with than other flours, especially when it comes to bread. But I love these cookies. The only thing is that even though I followed the recipe exactly, the cookies tasted salty. Baking soda has a lot of sodium and that plus 1/2 tsp of salt in the recipe. I wonder if the salt could be reduced to 1/4 tsp. I use an ancient sea salt which is probably saltier than regular salt. Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Judy, absolutely, you can cut it back. Agreed, einkorn is a little trickier. Not so much with things like cookies but with bread, rolls, cakes, etc, I’ve found it a little more challenging, too.
Judy says
Thanks for your response Kimberly!
Sourdough bread seems to be the easiest to do without the challenging of yeast breads and rolls.
Judy
Kim says
I made these – mixture was still quite wet, so I added an arbitrary 3 handfuls of rolled oats and a highly scientific shake of flour… perfect.
They’re very nice cookies!
D says
I made the recipe because I love molasses, I used whole wheat flour but 8-10 mins was not long enough. I also rolled them in sugar and cinnamon.