Molasses Ginger Galettes

Flour adjusted down by about 20 to keep cookie tender. Baking soda bumped slightly to compensate molasses acidity and give the galettes a subtle lift without blowing their shape. Salt up just a hair—primes sweet balance but not enough to taste salty. Coconut oil selected here to replace butter for lactose-intolerant bakers; choose refined if you want minimal coconut aroma, virgin for a background note of fruitiness. Dark muscovado adds richer molasses flavors compared to plain brown sugar—if unavailable use packed dark brown sugar but expect less deep molasses intensity. Preserved ginger finely diced because large bits can be aggressive chew spots and cookie structure conflicts. Cinnamon swapped in for the original ginger only to add warmth and balance the molasses edges, but could swap with cardamom or allspice for something different. Eggs provide moisture and structure; don’t skip. Molasses type matters—blackstrap yields stronger bitterness and deeper notes, regular dark molasses milder and lighter in color. Always check fat state; too melted and dough spreads too thin, too hard and mixing is tough. Mixing method matters—creaming coconut oil and sugar well keeps air and texture. Watch for sugar grain dissolution as you work.

Start with precise oven setting before tackling dough; preheated, steady heat avoids cooking guesswork and signaled texture contrast. Mixing dry ingredients with spices first lets you avoid pockets of bitter or salty outcomes—dissolving baking soda constantly delivered through flour means even rise. Creaming coconut oil with sugar rather than just melting and mixing keeps crumb aerated and soft; let your mixer or spatula soften fat properly. Molasses and egg are combined separately to ensure consistent moisture and acid balance. Fold dry into wet gently—overworking leads to tough cookies. Diced ginger needs folding at last stage to anchor flavor without breaking dough network. Portion control done with 35 ml scoop—not too big or small—to limit cookie spread and baking inconsistency. Space cookies 5 cm apart; they spread but not much. Bake one sheet at a time to maximize even heat exposure and watch for edge signs—firm, crackling, amber color, lightly springy center. Baking times flexible between 12-16 minutes; rely on cues not the clock. Cooling on rack (not parchment) firms bottom without sogginess; ambient air prevents residual heat steam buildup that ruins crisp edges. Store cooled galettes airtight. Leftover dough freezes well; defrost and bake with same timing cues. Common mistakes: skipping creaming stage leads to dense cookies, baking multiple sheets at once can generate uneven baking, overbaking turns chew into dry flake, underbaking yields gummy centers that tear, skipping cooling traps steam and softens edges.