Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel

Friends, I give you the quintessential October cookie.  It’s the cookie that will get you through the transition from the splendor of October to the craziness of the holidays.  It’s my second favorite cookie ever and it helped me through many a spelling lesson. 

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

When I was in middle school my mother graciously asked a friend to help tutor me in spelling.  It was my biggest struggle.  English spelling is unkind to those of us who are stringent rule-followers.  Though I am still a less than fabulous speller (read: pretty bad but that’s why I have a dictionary), one part of those Sunday afternoon lessons was never forgotten. 

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

My tutor would bring with her a plate full of soft, chewy, lightly spicy molasses cookies to brighten up our lessons.  These cookies, along with the “International Delight” instant coffee-flavored beverages (which are basically the best thing ever when you’re nine) made spelling lessons a true treat.

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

Though the lessons are a thing of the past, the utter perfection of those cookies remains fresh in my memory.  Each Fall the craving returns and I know it is time to buy some molasses and preheat the oven. 

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

I greatly prefer molasses cookies to ginger snaps (which, let’s face it, are pretty similar in flavor) for one reason - the texture.  Though hard and crunchy is appropriate for some cookies, I firmly believe that a dark, spicy cookie needs to be soft, and chewy.

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

Though it was not necessary, I decided to bump my molasses cookies up a bit this year by drizzling them with apple cider caramel sauce.  Yeah.  I’m putting caramel on everything these days.  It’s Autumn, I just can’t help myself.

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

The cider adds a bit of tang to the dark, bitter caramel and it melds perfectly with the sweet, spicy cookie. 

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

Serving recommendation: Cold cider, warm cookies, fuzzy socks, Jimmy Fallon clips on youtube.  The End.

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel {Pedantic Foodie}

Mama, thank you for those spelling lessons that, if nothing else, helped me find my cookie soulmate.  He’s everything I’ve dreamt of - soft, sweet, and spicy.  Eew, that got weird.  I think I should go now. Bye.

Sincerely, 

Pedantic Foodie

Chewy Molasses Cookies with Apple Cider Caramel

makes 3 dozen cookies / recipe adapted from Paula Deen

for the caramel

  • 3/4 cup apple cider
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream 
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

In a small saucepan bring apple cider to a boil over medium high heat.  Boil for 10-15 minutes, until the cider has reduced by two thirds.  You will be left with 1/4 cup of reduced cider.  

In a medium saucepan combine sugar, butter and water.  Place over medium heat and stir until the butter melts and the sugar begins to dissolve.  Once the sugar has dissolved increase heat to medium high and boil, without stirring, until the caramel is deep amber in color, about 5-7 minutes.  Swirl the pan occasionally but DO NOT stir or scape down the sides.  Once the color is correct remove from heat and add vanilla, cinnamon, cider, and heavy whipping cream.  Be careful as the caramel will steam and splatter.  Return the pan to the burner and stir until the caramel is smooth and homogenous.  Allow to cool to room temperature before drizzling over the cookies. 

for the cookies

  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened 
  • 1 cup brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1/4 cup molasses 
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour 
  • 2 teaspoons baking soda 
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt 
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar 

Sift to combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.  

In the work bowl of your stand mixer combine butter and brown sugar.  Beat for 1-2 minutes; until fluffy.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add egg.  Beat until well combined.  With the mixer on medium speed, add molasses and mix until smooth.  Slowly incorporate in flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.  The dough should be a bit dry, but sticky.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line several baking sheets with parchment paper.  

Use a 1-ounce scoop to portion the dough into balls.  Roll each ball in granulated sugar and place on a lined baking sheet.  Use the palm of your hand to flatten the cookies slightly.  Bake for 12 minutes.  The cookies will look slightly underdone in the center - this is perfect.  If you over-bake these cookies they will lose their chewy texture.  Allow to cook on wire racks before drizzling with caramel.  Enjoy!

Autumn Caramel Corn

Hi there.

I made you something.  Essentially, I dumped your pantry into caramel and called it a snack.  

I have given a lot of thought to snacks as of late, firstly, because I love snacks, and secondly, because I am about to go on a trip.  Traveling makes me hungry and if the airport does not sell those ridiculously good organic cheetos then I am going to need a back up plan. 

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

Well, hey there caramel popcorn.  I’m just gonna dump about 2 pounds of you in my purse and that should be enough to last me for at least an hour.

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

In my mind, caramel corn is inherently autumnal, but I wanted to give it just a little more of that Fall flavor.

Enter pecans, nutmeg, tiny dried blueberries, and pretzel crisps, because I put pretzels in whatever I can. 

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

Do you dip pretzels in your ice cream?  Yes?  Let’s be friends.  You bring the ice cream, I’ll bring the pretzels.

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

I’m imagining that I’ll be sitting next to Alton Brown on the flight, and I’ll share some of my popcorn with him and, of course, he will love it and then I will faint and wake up with his autograph tattooed on my arm.  Hmm…  It gets so weird so quickly.

Then I think, in reality, I’ll probably sit next to someone with a popcorn allergy and I won’t be able to open my plane snack and then I’ll pass out from hunger and wake up to find that my flight buddy stole my phone.  Paranoid?  Maybe.

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

I have no control when it comes to caramel corn.  Like seriously, NO control.  My sister and I can and will eat an entire batch of this stuff in about 1.42 hours.

Autumn Caramel Corn {Pedantic Foodie}

I have to go pack.  Of course, by “pack” I mean that I have to go find someone willing to sit on my suitcase while I attempt to zip it.  I’ll just bribe them with popcorn. 

Love you, bye!

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

Autumn Caramel Corn

  • 2/3 cup popping corn
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil 
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup corn syrup 
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter 
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 
  • 2 cups pretzel crisps, crushed 
  • 3/4 cup dried blueberries 
  • 1 cup raw pecans, roughly chopped 

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

Cover the bottom of a heavy pot with olive oil and place over medium high heat.  When the oil begins to shimmer add popping corn and cover with lid.  When you no longer hear the corn popping, remove from heat.  Transfer the popped corn to a large roasting pan and place in oven while you prepare the caramel. 

In a small saucepan combine butter, corn syrup, brown sugar and salt.  Place the pan over medium high heat and stir until butter has melted.  Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for five minutes without stirring.  Remove from heat and quickly stir in baking soda, vanilla extract, and nutmeg.  Pour the caramel over the popcorn and toss until all the corn is coated evenly.  Stir in pretzels, blueberries, and pecans.  Return the pan to oven and bake for 45 minutes, toss every 10 minutes to ensure even coating.

Spread the popcorn out unto a baking sheet lined with parchment and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving.  Serve immediately or store in an airtight container.  Enjoy!  

Apple Pie Scones

What does your driving-to-work playlist look like these days?

Are you winning at eating more spinach than marshmallows?  Me neither.

Sweater weather feelings?  Are you into it?  Please be into it.  I don’t want to be cozy all by myself. 

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

 

Are you one of those people that sleeps with their socks on?  How do you do that?  Not trying to be creepy but, I kind of need to know. 

What do you think about before going to sleep?  Yeah...that sounded even creepier. 

If you were wondering, (which you probably were not because you are not as nosey as I am but I am going to tell you anyways) I think about scones.

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

I close my eyes and visions of scones appear.  Like the particular lady I am, I scroll through the webpage of my mind, rejecting or applauding each idea as it passes by.

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

It took a good bit of scrolling and forty-five minutes of lost sleep before I finally came upon an idea that impressed me.

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

Before deciding if a recipe concept deserves to be attempted I run it through some very strict, very technical criteria.

  1. Is the concept reasonable?  Scratch that. I attempt unreasonable, completely ridiculous things in the kitchen all the time. 
  2. Does it include butter?
  3. Am I getting hungry thinking about it?
  4. Does it require ingredients that are generally available?
  5. Am I really hungry from thinking about it?
  6. Am I starting to chew on my pillow out of desperation?  

Like I said, it’s technical.

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

I interrupt this post to say - hey, stop eating all of the spiced pecans!  My supply should have given me enough for two batches but somehow, well… at least I had enough for one. 

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

As I was saying, these scones underwent some serious thought before they were able to pass the criteria.  I knew I wanted something faintly evocative of the coming season, and I knew I wanted my scones to be stuffed with some sort of fruit.  

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

After a bit of refining, this was the final idea and I am very happy to say that these scones are absolutely marvelous.  They also taste like you accidentally dropped an apple pie in them.  

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

Now perhaps you, like my mother, believe scones to be dry, dense, English hockey pucks.  If that is the case, I'm truly sorry, because that means that you have been subjected to one of the many lackluster scones that exist in this world.  However, these scones are nothing like those hockey pucks from your past.  These scones are incredibly moist, slightly crumbly, and cakey.  

Their moisture comes in two forms; heavy cream and sour cream.  Basically, I really love cream. 

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

Stuffed with apples and cinnamon, brushed with more cream, and baked to perfection.  

Apple Pie Scones {Pedantic Foodie}

I'm still waiting on an answer about those socks.  In the meantime, I think I'll have a cup of tea and another scone.

Sincerely, 

  Pedantic Foodie

Apple Pie Scones

makes 9

  • 3 1/4 cups all purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
  • 1/2 cup light brown sugar 
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice 
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes 
  • 2 cups heavy cream 
  • 1/4 cup sour cream
  • 3/4 cup spiced pecans, roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
  • 1 crisp apple (I used a pink lady), sliced thinly
  • egg wash (1 egg mixed with 1 teaspoon water)
  • turbinado sugar

In a large bowl whisk to combine flour, brown sugar, salt, baking powder, and allspice.  Toss in chilled butter and use your fingertips to break up the butter, forming pea-sized pieces.  Toss in spiced pecans. 

In a small bowl combine heavy cream and sour cream.  Pour into the flour mixture and mix quickly using a spatula.  Do not overwork the dough; we do not want to create a lot of gluten.  Stir until just combined and then turn out onto a floured surface. 

Divide the dough into two equal halves and shape each half into a 8-inch square, about 1/2 inch in thickness.

In a small bowl combine ground cinnamon and granulated sugar.  Sprinkle one half of the dough with cinnamon sugar and press down lightly.  Cover the surface evenly with apple slices and then top with the second square of dough.  

Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.  

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut the dough into 9 squares and lay out onto baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Brush the top of each scone with egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar.  

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Allow to cool 15-20 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!