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One bite of these cookies, and you will understand what it feels like to taste a hug. Each bite is packed with the amazing, rich flavors of molasses, ginger, cloves, and cinnamon. A symphony of flavors that will have your taste buds singing in unison! They leave a lasting impression as the warm spices linger with each bite taken.
I sort of feel like I am cheating with this recipe. It is actually the Hum Mud Cookie recipe (with a slight modification). I decided to create a new posting for it just in case someone was searching for a wafer-like cookie. I talked about molasses over there, but I will mention it here only in case you are questioning the use of it.
Molasses is a byproduct of making sugar; it is the brown syrup leftover once the sugar crystals are removed. There is Fancy Molasses, which is the sweetest and has a light color. Light Molasses (made from the first boiling of the cane) contains 40% less sugar than Fancy Molasses, has a more subtle flavor, and is even lighter in color. Dark Molasses (made from the second boiling) is darker in color, thicker and less sweet. I first started my experimentation with Blackstrap Molasses, which is very dark and has a slightly bitter, robust flavor. Using this left our first batch with a strange aftertaste, so I tried another version.
Then we move onto Cooking Molasses, which is a blend of Fancy and Blackstrap Molasses. It results in a darker, less sweet product. But wait, there’s more… Any of these can be Unsulphured Molasses, which is said to have the best flavor, and I have to agree because this is what nailed it for Bob’s childhood memory of Hum Mud cookies. To keep this recipe fully raw, you can use Yacon syrup or raw coconut nectar instead. The flavor isn’t as intense and rich, but still good.
These cookies are also a crowd-pleasing favorite for sharing at holiday celebrations or for gift giving. They package nicely without sticking to one another, so pile them high and wrap them with a bow. If you have the time (but not required at all), I recommend preparing the cookie dough a day ahead of when you plan to make the cookies, allowing the flavors to blend and enhance one another.
12/24/2021 UPDATE – I had a member reach out this morning to ask if there was a way to reduce the fat content but cutting the almond flour with something. I had just enough time to test the recipe for her but I had to bake them verses dehydrating due to time. See below if this interests you as well. blessings, amie sue
Ingredients:Yields: (depends on size) cookies
Note the ** in the ingredient list for recipe changes.
Yields: (depends on size) cookies
1 1/2 cups fine almond flour **
1 1/2 cups whole rolled oats, powdered ** (equaled 1 3/4 cup oat flour)
1/4 cup raw coconut crystals
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
4 Tbsp water **
I didn’t roll mine out as thin as I did in the photos and ended up baking them for 12 minutes at 350 degrees (F). I didn’t have time for dehydrating. They turned out so good! Bob and I both found that the cookies were a bit milder in flavor. Follow the same directions as above if dehydrating.
These sound almost like gingerbread cookies. Yum!
I searched online stores and I found organic dark unsulphured molasses with 50% sugars left in it. Do you think that would work? (It is funny, to me molasses has always been something you give to animals, we gave it to our horse when I was younger and he loved it. Maybe I will too! :D )
Ooops, I missed the title, it IS gingerbread cookies! :D I was too busy reading the ingredients list. :)
lol it’s all good ;)
Good day Veronica,
Horse food! lol Too funny. Can you shoot me a link to the one you are looking at? amie sue :)
Making right now… Johns’ favorite!! Got to have him stay healthy as we go into the “Sugar World’. LOL
In the dehydrator right now! But was wondering what your texture is??? I don’t think that my food processor ground the nuts into a “fine” particle flour enough?? But I’m sure that they will taste good…
Hello Jan :)
Yes, you need to use a fine almond flour. I mentioned it in the preparation section… I used almond flour made from almond pulp so it gets really fine. A person can buy it but it won’t be raw. How did they turn out other than that? blessings, amie sue
Amen to that! I can’t wait to hear what John thinks of them! Your a good wife ;) hugs, amie sue
Hi Amie Sue,
Do you think a lower fat flour or flour combo might work for these? Such as oat flour and an oat flour combo?
Thank you. Mary
Hello Mary,
I haven’t tested it myself so it would be an experiment to see how they hold together. I might just hope in the kitchen and give a try though! I shall keep you posted. :) blessings and Merry Christmas. amie sue
I am back with a quick report. I tested using 1/2 oat flour and 1/2 almond flour. Note the ** in the ingredient list for recipe changes.
Ingredients:
Yields: (depends on size) cookies
1 1/2 cups fine almond flour **
1 1/2 cups whole rolled oats, powdered ** (equaled 1 3/4 cup oat flour)
1/4 cup raw coconut crystals
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp Himalayan pink salt
1/4 cup unsulphured molasses
4 Tbsp water **
I didn’t roll mine out as thin as I did in the photos and ended up baking them for 12 minutes. I didn’t have time for dehydrating.
Both Bob and I agreed that the flavor was much milder than when I make them with just almond flour, but they were really good.
I hope this helps, let me know. blessings, amie sue
Oh that is so nice Amie Sue that you tried that out!! Thank you so much! I was thinking that almond flour is of course fatty and would make them yummy, crumbly and buttery. But too much fat for me. I’ll have to try this new version out this week. Thank you again dear Amie Sue. Wishing you and Bob a lovely, warm and vibrant holiday.
What heat did you end up baking them at? 350?
You are more than welcome. We really enjoyed the new version so thanks for asking ♥️
Yay!!! :)
Amie Sue, I wanted to let you know I made the cookies with half oat, half almond flour! They are wonderful, especially second day. I actually froze them (so I wouldn’t eat them too fast), and I love them right of the freezer! They are thin enough that they just have a really nice snap that way.
The one challenge I had was transferring them to the baking sheet (I baked), without having them break. I tried putting the dough in the fridge for a bit, even after rolling out, but it didn’t help much. Mine were about 1/4″. I’m wondering if yours were easier to transfer because you used a fairly small mold.
Good day Mary,
I was thrilled to read your message today. We freeze them too since we can’t eat them fast enough or better yet… SHOULDN’T eat them too fast. haha I agree that they get better with each passing day. Whenever I roll and cut out cookies, I typically remove the excess dough after pressing the cookie-cutter shapes into the rolled out dough, then I gently lift the parchment paper flipping a section of it into my hand, gently removing the cookie into my hand, then I transfer it to the baking sheet. Does that make sense? It’s kind of hard to type out. Basically, I never try to lift the cookie straight off the parchment paper as it lays on the countertop.
Let me know if that helps. blessings and again thank you for leaving a comment. amie sue
Yes, it does make sense. I rolled them out on teflex sheets on the bottom and the top. I wonder if parchment would make it easier to do what you suggested. I have a feeling yes. I tried to, but it didn’t totally work. I just kept messing them up. At first I tried with a small gingerbread man, but it was too fiddly to work well. So then I used a bigger simple cookie cutter. I think yours is really the right size for these. Anyway, thank you again for the recipe variation. It’s really nice that you’ve started doing more lower fat recipes. I think I moved in that direction at the same time you did. I think I’ll try some of the bread recipes, even though I don’t have a mixer. Will require some serious hand power. :)
Amie-Sue, if I tried these with no almond flour, what would you recommend? I’m tempted to try 100% oat flour or would you recommend a different combo? They are just SO good…I guess I’m wanting to have my cake (or cookie) and eat it too. :)
Good day Mary,
I would test 100% oat flour if it were me. There are tons of flour combos but I would try to keep it simple at first and see the dough responds. When I get a chance, I will also test out using just oat flour as it appeals to me as well. :) Let me know if you try something different. blessings, amie sue
Thanks Amie Sue. I’ll let you know when I do it, unless you do it first. :). I just polished off the 1/2 and 1/2 ones. Sooooo good!! I just love the crisp out of the freezer. It’s weird, they don’t seem frozen at all, just with a great snap.
You bet. I am anxious to try it too. I LOVE that they freeze n’eat so wonderfully. Freezing them helps extend their shelf life, keeping them fresh and crispy. The best of both worlds. :) Happy New Year’s! hugs, amie sue
Ok, well the 100% oat flour experiment bombed big time. I wasn’t as fastidious as you would have been with the flour measurement. I measured the oats but not the flour. In any case, I kept adding water because the “dough” was too dry. The oat flour just kept soaking it up. Anyway, I made the cookies and they were terrible. Hard to believe such a huge difference. Maybe had you done it, they would have turned out differently. I froze them thinking maybe that would help. You can’t even eat these frozen. I do plenty of recipes with all oat flour (with applesauce or bananas), but this just didn’t work out. I think it needed more moisture from somewhere.
Well, Mary, I had the exact same result when using straight-up oat flour. Working with different flours is always tricky. It often gets to a point of completely rewriting a recipe. Back to the drawing board or more likely…. the kitchen counter. :) Thanks for sharing your experiment! blessings, amie sue