Black Treacle Cookies

I feel the need to issue a disclaimer: I do not particularly like cookies. I'll pass on them every time they're offered and I thoroughly dislike making them. Until now. These black treacle cookies are quite possibly my favorite cookie, ever, and I will keep a constant supply of black treacle in my cabinets so I can make these.

You're probably wondering what treacle is, right? Well, it's an extremely close relative to molasses, just a bit darker and less bitter. It's still made by refining cane sugar and comes in a few color grades.

You can likely find treacle in a fancy schmancy import store like World Market, but I didn't find it in even my fanciest of grocery stores. So I bought mine on Amazon. It took a while to get here as it shipped from the UK, but I was in such a rush that I didn't pay attention to the shipping location. You can probably find it easier than I did and get it shipped faster.

I will strongly urge you to either follow this recipe 100% with no variations OR to not make the recipe at all. If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. Trust me.



Ingredients
155 grams butter
200 grams white sugar
60 grams black treacle
1 egg
250 grams flour, sifted
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground cloves
1 pinch salt
additional sugar for rolling/coating


Melt the butter and set aside to slightly cool. Once cooled, add sugar, egg, treacle, and stir well to combine. The treacle will be sticky but just stick with it and it'll come together well.

After sifting your flour, add it and your other dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Trust me, freshly and finely ground cloves are a must. You can buy a cheap coffee/spice grinder and it'll completely transform and change your spice game in cooking and baking. Get one!!!!!!

Stir the dough until well combined. Cover in an air-tight container and chill for three hours or even overnight.

Once ready to back, preheat oven to 375 degrees, and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silpat.

I weighed each of my cookies to ensure even baking time and I really liked the size they grew into at 25 grams. Measure yours out evenly, roll to coat in sugar, and place on cookie sheet.

I baked mine for 8 minutes and 30 seconds, but that's just my oven. You don't want these to be too dry or crisp, but if they look way too wet, give them at most a total of 9 minutes.

Allow them to cool on a wire rack before storing in an airtight container. They'll be just ever so slightly chewy if you serve them the next day, but I think they're best warm, out of the oven, with a cold glass of milk.

Tell me what you think once you've tried them!!!!!!!