Culinary SOS: Molasses cookies from Milk

Dear SOS: Milk has the best molasses cookies I’ve ever had. My entire family adores them, and I would love to be able to make them for my dad on his 66th birthday. Please help? These cookies are out of this world. I need the recipe, before I spend my last dime on them! Thank you!

Selby Blum

Los Angeles

Dear Selby: Milk was happy to share its recipe for molasses cookies with us. These are thin and rich, so have a big glass of milk at the ready — it’s all but impossible to eat just one.

Milk’s molasses cookies

Total time: 1 hour

Servings: 2 dozen cookies

Note: Adapted from Milk on Beverly Boulevard. Milk serves the cookies garnished with a sugar glaze (3 tablespoons water heated with 1½ tablespoons each corn syrup and fondant in a saucepan until combined, then beaten with 2 cups plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar until smooth). Fondant is available at baking supply stores as well as at cooking stores and select gourmet supply stores. You can substitute royal icing if desired.

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup molasses

3 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon (14.5 ounces) flour

1 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, to the mixture until thoroughly incorporated. Beat in the molasses.

3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ground ginger, salt and ground cloves. With the mixer running, slowly add the dry ingredients to the mixture until completely incorporated.

4. Spoon the batter into mounds (about 2 tablespoons each) and place on a parchment-lined cookie sheet (space the cookies at least 3 to 4 inches apart, as they will spread). Bake the cookies until set, about 18 minutes, rotating halfway through for even coloring.

Each cookie: 221 calories; 2 grams protein; 35 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram fiber; 8 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 36 mg cholesterol; 21 grams sugar; 264 mg sodium.