Cherry Orange Molasses Cookies with a Soft Middle

Set out shortening, butter, and sugar before you start Cherry Orange Molasses Cookies with a Soft Middle. The batch is written for 36 cookies.

Count on 30 minutes of prep, 10 minutes of cooking, 2 hours of resting, about 2 hours from the first measurement to the plate.

Ingredients Method

What goes in the bowl

• ¾ cup shortening
• ¾ cup butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 orange zested
• ½ cup molasses
• 2 eggs
• 4 teaspoons baking soda
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger slightly rounded
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 cup dried tart cherries
• ½ cup pecans chopped
• ½ cup candied orange zest
• Additional sugar for rolling

How the cooking goes

1. Combine orange zest with sugar and allow to infuse while you measure and start the dough.
2. Melt shortening and butter together in a pan on low heat.
3. While the butter and shortening melt, sift together flour, soda, ginger, cinnamon and salt; whisk to evenly distribute spices and soda. Keep it to one side.
4. In another large bowl add sugar, molasses and butter/shorting mixture; beat well with a hand mixer. Add eggs and beat well.
5. In two additions, add the flour mixture to the sugar mixture then stir on low speed. Add cherries, pecans and candied orange zest.
6. Chill until firm, at least 2 hours.
7. Warm the oven to 350°F and line two sheet pans with parchment.
8. Roll into balls approximately 1 ½ inches across, roll in sugar and place 2 inches apart on your prepared cookie sheet.
9. Bake in preheated oven 8-10 minutes. For mostly soft, chewy cookies, bake until the edges are brown and cracked but the centers are not. For crispy outsides and soft centers bake at least 10 minutes until the centers have started to crack.

After it comes off the heat

Cool the sheet on a rack before the pieces are stacked. A covered tin keeps them for a few days.

If you want another plate from Cookies, open Cinnamon Sugar Cookies Baked Until the Edges Set and Amaretti Cookies with a Soft Middle.