Chewy Grain Free Molasses Cookies

My Dad always made the best molasses cookies when I was a kid, and I’m 100% sure he got the recipe from the PYE cafeteria (my elementary school) because I think my Mom still has the original handwritten and then photocopied recipe (remember when the print on copies had that bluish purple tint?). Of course, I’ve evolved in my baking/eating since then and I try to cut down on the sugar and cut out the grains whenever I can. Cookies can be tough to make grain free because of texture issues, but my go-to flour is always coconut flour. It has so much fiber in it, that the liquid content of the recipe has to be super high, and there has to be some way to make them chewier rather than just cake-y (and coconut flour can make things really dry!). I played around with this recipe a few times until I got it just right. I’m actually quite thrilled with it. And I recommend eating these with frosting (or greek yogurt or vanilla coconut yogurt). Or plain. Or with coffee.

A note of caution though, these are super strong in the molasses flavor department… molasses lovers will LOVE these. If you’re not one, you might not love them as much.

Chewy Grain Free Molasses Cookies

1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup maple syrup (I use grade B)
3 eggs
4 Tbsp coconut flour
2 Tbsp gelatin
2 Tbsp butter, softened or melted

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350. If your butter is soft and room temp, use it that way. If not, melt it! While you’re waiting for the butter to melt, mix together: molasses, maple syrup, eggs, and gelatin. Use a fork to mix the gelatin well so it doesn’t clump (there may be a few clumps, that’s ok). Add the coconut flour and mix well. Add the butter, and mix again. The batter/dough will be really gooey. Let it sit for a few minutes to thicken if needed (the coconut flour will absorb more liquid as it waits).  On a greased or lined cookie sheet, place small balls of dough, and flatten slightly (they won’t spread much). Bake for 12 minutes. Oven times/temps may vary—my oven runs a bit hot when it feels like it so you may need a minute or two extra. Leave them on the pan to cool for a few minutes. Don’t stack these cookies on top of each other while they’re warm or they will stick together.

These are chewy and a bit cake-y, but not as cake-y as most coconut flour recipes! They’re not exactly the same as crackle-y topped old school molasses cookies, but they have an amazing flavor and are way more nutritious! These are best when warm, but awesome later too–they are chewy and about 5% cake-y (as coconut flour tends to do!).

These are perfect as mini moon pies! Just add greek yogurt or coconut yogurt to the middle.

What’s your favorite cookie?!