Salty Molasses-Spice No-Mixer Cookies

EASIER

VEGETARIAN

Makes about 30 cookies

If you like gingerbread, you’ll love these sophisticated little cookies, best with a cup of tea. They need to bake on parchment paper to keep them from getting too crisp before they set.

1¾ cups plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour

½ cup packed dark brown sugar

½ teaspoon baking soda

¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground dried ginger

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

¼ cup molasses

¼ cup whole or low-fat milk

1 large egg, at room temperature

3 tablespoons minced candied orange peel

2 tablespoons coarse sanding sugar

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. Whisk the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves in a large bowl until uniform.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the melted butter, molasses, milk, egg, and orange peel. Use a wooden spoon to stir the mixture until a dough forms, with no dry bits of flour in the bowl.

4. Mix the sanding sugar and kosher salt in a small bowl. Roll about 1 tablespoon of the dough into a small ball, then roll in the sugar/salt mixture, getting a few grains all over the ball without going nuts. Repeat to roll and coat about 30 balls.

5. Line the balls up on the parchment-lined sheets, spacing them about 2 inches apart. Place the sheets in the refrigerator and chill for 15 minutes.

6. Meanwhile, position the rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F.

7. Flatten the balls on one sheet with a sturdy drinking glass, just so they barely begin to crack at the edges. Transfer the sheet to the oven and bake the cookies until set, 10 to 12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes.

8. While the first batch cools, press out the remaining cookies and get them in the oven, repeating the baking and cooling procedure. Serve warm, or store in a sealed container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Test Kitchen Notes

• The melted butter makes the cookies denser and a little chewier.

• Look for candied orange peel in the supermarket’s baking aisle or near the dried fruit and nuts. Candied orange peel is familiar from your grandmother’s holiday cookies and fruitcakes. At high-end supermarkets and kitchen stores, you may be able to find thin orangette strips, designed to be dipped into melted chocolate to make the classic French confection. If you use these, slice them into little bits about the size of dried currants.

• Kosher salt gives the cookies a great crunchy topping.

Voilà! If you don’t want to buy brown sugar for every recipe, keep a jar of molasses in your pantry. The ratio to make brown sugar is this: For every cup of granulated white sugar, add 1 tablespoon molasses for light brown sugar or 1½ tablespoons for dark. Whir in a food processor until evenly colored.