You may think you have too many ginger cookie recipes, but you'll want to add Canola Oil Ginger Cookies to your collection. The recipe is from a friend who served them at a baby shower. She said the original recipe was from McCall's, and that she'd been making these molasses cookies for over 30 years. She calls them Ginger Cookies, but I'm calling them Canola Oil Ginger Cookies because I love the fact they are made with oil rather than shortening or butter.
No Expensive Butter
This is one cookie where you really won't miss butter or shortening. The oil gives the cookies chewy centers and crisp edges, while the molasses and spice provide loads of flavor. And the added bonus of ginger cookies made without butter is that they don't require creaming the fat with the sugar. You can make these with a handheld mixer, or you can just stir everything together in a bowl.
Compared to my usual favorite ginger cookies, these bake up a bit flatter and denser and are a more normal size. They're also very chewy. And as you can see, the Canola Oil Ginger Cookies have lots of cracks.
Olive Oil Ginger Cookies
These are called Canola Oil Ginger Cookies, but I've become used to the flavor of extra virgin olive oil in baked goods so I sometimes make them with that. Grapeseed oil and safflower oil also work.
Recipe
Canola Oil Ginger Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour (260 grams)
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt (scant)
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
- ⅔ cup canola oil (or olive or safflower or any neutral oil)
- 1 cup granulated sugar (brown sugar works too) (200 grams)
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup mild molasses
- ¼ cup extra sugar for rolling
- 2 tablespoons chopped candied ginger (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. and have ready two ungreased baking sheets.
- Thoroughly whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cocoa powder.
- In a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together oil and sugar until well mixed. Beat in the egg and molasses, scraping bowl often.
- Add the flour mixture and stir until well blended. If using candied ginger bits, go ahead and add that too. You should have a fairly soft dough
- Shape into 20 to 24 balls (I use a medium size cookie scoop and get about 20). Roll the balls in sugar or put them in a bag with extra sugar and shake to coat. The dough is a little soft so the balls will spread a bit.
- Arrange on ungreased baking sheets spacing about 2 inches apart. If the cookies spread, tap the edges inward with the tip of a spatula to form neat circles.
- Bake at 350 degrees F for about 12 minutes or until cookies appear cracked and set.
Dee says
forgot to mention that our family makes Sorghum so I have used various viscosity, both thin and thick. I also have made with honey instead of molasses
Anna says
Dee, thanks for the gluten-free flour tip! I'm going to use it in my next batch.
Dee says
By far the easiest and best molasses cookies. I do leave out ginger as I don't care for the flavor. I also make these with gluten free flour and have never had a bad batch.
d says
I made these yesterday and we loved them!! I used organic white sugar and would do that again. I couldn't find mild molasses at two different grocery stores so I used the regular Brer Rabbit and that was fine. Yummy!!!
Sue says
Is it weird that I immediately wondered if olive oil would work?
We love ginger cookies.
CindyD says
Very close to my go to ginger cookie only mine includes a bit of cardamom. I find that buying new ginger really makes a difference. (I feel like I've made these comments before...)
Sonya says
Mmmmm, these look delicious and I feel like I can taste them right through the screen!
Anna says
Let me know what you think! For the molasses, I used Brer Rabbit. I suppose any molasses will work, but Brer Rabbit Mild Molasses is what I used.
T. Martin says
BTW...What brand "mild" molasses did you use?
T. Martin says
Look quick and easy. Will have to try them out at SLT for class snack.