Apple Molasses cookie

July 18, 2010  •  Category: ,

 

My brother has been talking about a book he just read,  The Sugar Fix which seems to have made a strong impression on him; written by a physician,  the book exposes the toxic effects of high fructose corn syrup on the American diet; it attributes many major diseases to its long-term consumption.


I was on a mission to create a cookie that I could proudly say ” does not contain one gram of corn syrup” and is still sweet and delicious.

We live in the Chouf mountains in the summer, a beautiful region with mild weather, clean air and lush nature, with a flank of its mountains covered with cedars; this area is protected and called the Al Shouf Cedar Nature Reserve; some foodie products can be bought there and this is how I discovered apple molasses.

I made simple cookies using butter, apple molasses, one egg and some flour. Foolproof; had my four-year old niece Marie and her Danish cousins help with the cutting of the cookies. These cookies are reminiscent of gingerbread cookies. Totally sweet, and crunchy or chewy depending on the length of baking time.

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup of apple molasses (measured in a cup with volumes)
  • 1 stick of unsalted butter (4 ounces)
  • 2 cups of all-purpose flour with a teaspoon of baking powder and a dash of salt (add more flour if needed)
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg (optional)

NOTE: The apple molasses can be replaced with grape molasses or carob molasses.

METHOD:

  1. In a mixer, food processor or bowl, place the butter and molasses; mix for one minute; add the egg and mix until well-mixed.
  2. In a bowl, mix the flour, salt, baking powder and nutmeg with a wire whisk; sift into the bowl with the butter and molasses mixture. Mix in for one or more minutes until the mixture is doughy; if necessary, add more flour just keep in mind that the dough should be moist and hold its shape. Gather into a compact ball and wrap in plastic or foil and place in the fridge or one hour or longer.
  3. Roll out the dough between sheets of wax paper or plastic wrap and cut with the rim of a glass or a cookie cutter. Bake in a 350F (180C) oven till dry and crunchy or slightly less if you prefer your cookies chewy; this should take 15 minutes, give or take a few minutes and will depend on your oven and your taste preferences.

Above are views of a palace in the Chouf mountains.

Comments

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  1. Rosa says:

    I guess this apple molasses must taste quite similar to our Swiss Vin Cuit (pear molasses). Those cookies look delicious. An interesting recipe…

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  2. deana says:

    I wonder, is it like American apple butter? Love the cookie recipe and completely believe what you say about corn syrup…it is ubiquitous in US prepared foods… in everything from spaghetti sauce to bread and rolls… I don’t think people know that it is not just in desserts… that is what is so insidious about it. Keep up the good word… eat sugar or honey!!!

  3. Bo says:

    I’ve never heard of apple molasses, but I like the idea of a cookie without corn syrup.

  4. mylittleexpatkitchen says:

    Apple molasses. So interesting. I’m so curious about the taste.
    The Chouf mountains are spectacular. You’re lucky to be spending the summer there!
    Magda

  5. Joanne says:

    High fructose corn syrup is possibly the single worst additive a person can ingest and definitely leads straight to diabetes. Yay for evicting it from your life and from these cookies! Which are probably all the more tasty without it anyway. Apple molasses – yum!

  6. kouky says:

    j’en croquerai bien un!! merci pour ces délicieuses photos très rafraichissantes avec cette canicule!! bises! kouky

  7. Nadji says:

    Je ne connais pas la mélasse de pommes.
    Tes biscuits doivent être délicieux avec une tasse de thé.
    A noter.
    A bientôt et bon dimanche.

  8. Lyndsey says:

    I love molasses cookies and ginger cookies.These look really nice. I don’t know if I can find Apple Molasses here. I do end up making a lot of things myself so I know what is going into it. My daughter likes my homemade peanut butter better anyway!

  9. Lea Ann says:

    These cookies are indeed an easy recipe. I’ve been steering clear of high fructose corn syrup for years. I need to read that book because I don’t know why it’s bad for you, I just know it’s bad.

  10. fimère says:

    excellente idée de le remplacer par la mélasse de pommes
    tes cookies sont a croquer, j’aime beaucoup
    bonne journée

  11. Erica says:

    Those cookies look delicious…I would love to try the

  12. Sushma Mallya says:

    sounds interesting and looks delicious too

  13. Jen_from_NJ says:

    I try to always avoid products made with high fructose corn syrup. The apple molasses sounds great!

  14. Patty Price says:

    Beautiful cookies, the apple molasses looks good, we have a Lebanese market I’ll have to look for it!

  15. Jojo says:

    Sounds wonderful!!

  16. Susan says:

    The apple molasses sounds like a wonderful addition to a cookie. I would guess it would taste great in a cake also. I will have to see if our grocer carries it!

  17. lisaiscooking says:

    I love cookies made with molasses, but I’ve never tried apple molasses. I’ll have to look for it! Beautiful photos of the palace.

  18. Priya says:

    Scrumptious cookies..

  19. elra says:

    You have so many different kind of molasses, I have to search on the net to see if I can get them.

  20. pierre says:

    salut joumana je ne connais pas cette mélasse : les montagnes du chouf sont trop belles !! vous devez avoir chaud ?!! non ?
    bizz PIerre

  21. FOODESSA says:

    Joumana…I remember you mentioning grape molasses once and I had put it on my list for later purchase…now I’ll have two recipes to try ;o)

    Is this your palace of your dreams?

    Nice photos and as usual very inviting.

    Flavourful wishes,
    Claudia

  22. Katerina says:

    I made once cookies with grape molasses and they tasted great. I bet these are great too.

  23. T.W. Barritt says:

    Love apple and molasses – does it taste like a combination of the two? I would love to snack on these cookies looking at the beautiful views of the mountains you’ve provided!

  24. Katie @Cozydelicious says:

    These cookies look wonderful. I’m going to have to go on a hunt for apple molasses.

  25. Nadia says:

    The recipe looks simple, I want to try it. I will look for apple or grape molasses, hope I can find them.

    The palace is beautiful, love the windows!

  26. SYLVIA says:

    This is a Joumana spin, any cookie that’s homemade tastes better, and nutmeg is so warm and adds lots of flavor. I haven’t seen any apple molasses in our Mediterranean stores yet, but I will keep on looking.
    High fructose corn syrup, is very addictive, and most people have more sweetness in their diet that they are aware of, you can wean yourself off sugar cravings by reducing the amount you use on your plate, or in your cooking a fraction at a time and your tastes buds will adjust surprisingly quickly.

  27. PJ says:

    Each time I drop by u make me hungry :).Lil angel and me are drolling over this right now…Can I substitute egg with anything else like yogurt or something?[I don’t get egg replacers here]

  28. grace says:

    apple molasses sounds really delicious, as it combines two very tasty ingredients in its name. your cookies are dainty and delicious, no doubt. 🙂

  29. alwayswinner786 says:

    Cookies are too delicious, good to pamper my sweet tooth! I would love to try the grape version also!

  30. Sasa says:

    Apple molassses sounds lovely, does it have any sourness in it? I can imagine all sorts of lovely things it would go with…Pancakes, ice cream, yoghurt…

  31. Amber @Almost Vegan says:

    Ooh! I wonder if these taste at all like some applesauce-oatmeal cookies I’ve made. I bet the apple molasses is lovely.

  32. Angie's Recipes says:

    I love molasses cookies…..here I can find the sugar beet molasses. Recipe bookmarked!

  33. momgateway says:

    I went to a middle eastern market but could not find apple molasses…would date molasses work?

  34. Cherine says:

    I’ve never tasted apple molasses. I love your recipe, anything with molasses is perfect for me !

  35. Soma says:

    Hmmmm Apple Molasses! Not that i have seen them anywhere around. But he cookies look extremely delicious,

  36. Louise says:

    Apple molasses cookies, intriguing indeed. I’ve used it as a deglazing medium for pork chops and other dishes. I wonder why I simply never thought to use it in baking. Perhaps, it is because I am so baking challenged:)

    Thanks for sharing…Joumana.

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