White Chocolate Molasses Cookies
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Firing up the stove
Soft, chewy molasses spice cookies with a molten white chocolate center, rolled in sugar for a crackly top, with optional Heath toffee bits for buttery crunch. Based on Oh Sweet Basil's white chocolate molasses cookies.
Why It Works
Shortening or lard keeps the cookies tall and soft while butter adds flavor. Molasses and brown sugar hold moisture for a chewy center, and baking soda reacts with the molasses for lift. Sealing white chocolate inside gives every bite a melty center, and the toffee bits caramelize into crunchy, buttery pockets against the warm spices.
Notes
Adapted from Oh Sweet Basil, with optional Heath toffee bits added. Make sure the chocolate is fully sealed or it leaks onto the pan. Shaped, sugared dough balls freeze well; bake from frozen, adding 1–2 minutes. A pinch of flaky salt on the drizzle before it sets is a nice finish.
RECIPE CARD
White Chocolate Molasses Cookies
Yield: About 32 cookies | Time: About 2¼ hours (including 1–2 hours chilling)
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Ingredients
- ¾ cup fat: half unsalted butter and half shortening or lard (or all butter)
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- ½ cup unsulphured molasses
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1¼ tsp ground ginger
- 1¼ tsp ground allspice
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¾ cup Heath toffee bits (optional)
- About 64 white chocolate melting wafers (2 per cookie)
- About ½ cup granulated sugar, for rolling
- 3 oz white chocolate, for drizzling (optional)
Instructions
- Cream. In a stand mixer, beat the butter, shortening and brown sugar until smooth. Add the egg and molasses and beat until fully combined.
- Mix the dry. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice and salt.
- Combine. With the mixer on low, add the dry ingredients gradually and mix well. If using, fold in the toffee bits.
- Chill. Cover tightly and refrigerate 1–2 hours, until firm enough to shape.
- Heat the oven. Heat to 350°F and line baking sheets with parchment (especially important with toffee, which melts and sticks).
- Stuff. Scoop a heaping tablespoon of dough, flatten it in your palm and set 2 white chocolate wafers in the center. Fold the dough around them and roll into a ball so the chocolate is completely sealed in.
- Roll in sugar. Roll each ball in granulated sugar and set 2 inches apart. You can bake now, or cover the sheet and refrigerate until ready.
- Bake. Bake 8–10 minutes, until the tops are crackled and the edges set but the centers still look soft.
- Cool. Cool on the sheet 5 minutes so they firm up, then move to a rack.
- Drizzle (optional). Melt the 3 oz white chocolate in 15-second bursts, stirring between each, and drizzle over the cooled cookies. Let set about 20 minutes.
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