author: willandleah
created: 2007-07-23 02:36:53
servings: varied
notes:
Last August, our friends Marshall and Flemming (parents of Lucy's pal Soren) invited us to Marshall's parents' cottage for lunch. The house sits on the edge of a little island off the coast of Maine (one of only two houses on the entire island) with soaring ceilings in the living room, tons of books, and one of the nicest kitchens I've been in, on an island or otherwise. They gave us a lovely lunch that concluded with these cookies, made by Soren and his grandmother that morning. Marshall says the recipe came from a restaurant her sister worked at years ago, and they've been tinkering with it ever since.
recipe:
1/4 - 3/4 cup canola oil (see note below) 1/4 cup molasses 1 egg 1 cup white sugar (plus a bit more for rolling) 2 cups flour 2 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp ground cloves 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp ground cinnamon Note: Marshall says the original recipe called for 3/4 cup of oil, but they have been steadily reducing it, and her mother (who is very health-conscious) recommends the 1/4 cup version. I usually split the difference and go with 1/2 cup (and still pat myself on the back because it's "good" fat, not butter). Sift together dry ingredients. Beat egg and add oil and molasses; beat again. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, add wets, and mix to combine. Marshall didn't mention this, so I feel I must: the batter will be slightly odd for cookie dough, rather dry, especially if you use a lesser quantity of oil. Just believe that it will work, and it somehow does. Roll walnut-sized balls of dough in sugar and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375F for 8-9 minutes. The cookies will emerge all crackled and lovely, and you should let them cool slightly on the sheet pan before removing them to a cooling rack.