Spiced Christmas biscuits or cookies! These deliciously spiced molasses cookies are a simple delight at Christmas.
Spiced Christmas biscuits are an annual bake. These simple Christmas cookies were a regular bake in Michelle’s house in Canada when she was growing up.
Traditionally made with molasses, they can be substituted with black treacle as that’s easier to get your hands on here.
They are a really simple bake, the spice Christmas biscuits dough can be easily frozen.
Michelle tends to bake half and freeze the remaining dough for later. Ensuring she has a supply ready to bake when the fancy takes her.
Where the recipe originates?
This is an old recipe from Nova Scotia where molasses and ginger cookies were widely made, particularly around Christmas time.
Molasses was a common and inexpensive sweetener and spices were a stable in every kitchen. The amount of spices used in spiced Christmas biscuits were left to the individual cook’s own taste.
Some would use as little as 1/2 a teaspoon of ginger, others as much as 2 tablespoons.
However this is how Michelle’s Mum makes them so that’s how she likes them.
These spiced Christmas biscuits are a perfect bake for this time of year. Soft cookies full of the flavour of warm Winter spices. Is there anything better with a cup of tea on a cold Winter afternoon?
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Spiced Christmas Cookies
Ingredients
- 225 g salted butter
- 170 g light soft brown sugar
- 300 g molasses or black treacle
- 1 medium egg
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ cup boiling water
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 650 g plain flour
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp salt
- ¾ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cloves
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and well combined. Blend in the molasses (or Black Treacle if you can’t find Molasses) and the egg.
- Dissolve the bicarbonate of soda in the boiling water and add to the mixture then stir through the vanilla extract.
- Meanwhile sift together the remaining dry ingredients in a separate bowl then add gradually to the wet mixture. Continue mixing to combine well and it will come together into a soft dough.
- DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP: Set aside the mixture to cool for a couple of hours.
- When ready to bake roll out the dough on a floured surface to 1/2cm thickness. Cut to shape using a cookie cutter.
- Bake in an oven at 140CFan for 15 minutes. They will puff up in the oven and settle again once rested. Set on a wire rack and allow to cool.
Notes
• Please note that the nutrition information provided above is approximate and meant as a guideline only •
Laura Michie
Wednesday 27th of November 2019
Made these for a bake sale, very simple to put together and with some coaching from Michelle I managed to turn out a good batch of cookies currently waiting patiently in the freezer. Great fun for the kids also. Thanks ladies xx
Lesley
Thursday 28th of November 2019
Laura thank you very much. Glad they were a success. I love these, a nicely spiced cookie and very seasonal. Lesley x
Choclette
Wednesday 19th of December 2018
I can never be bothered with icing biscuits, but these looks so much fun and definitely better iced than plain.
Monika Dabrowski
Monday 17th of December 2018
These look very cute!Thank you for bringing them to #CookBlogShare
Lesley
Tuesday 18th of December 2018
Thank you Monika, you are very welcome. I will say that we did have fun photographing these. Lesley x