My pal Danielle is pregnant. And she asked me for the recipe for my Grandma Lena's molasses cookies because she was having a craving. How well I understand that! I haven't been pregnant for nearly 20 years, but I crave the hell out of these cookies about once a week. Only my inherent laziness (and perhaps a bit of cholesterol related self-preservation) keeps me from having them on hand 24/7.
Before I start, you need to know that these are the most delicious cookies on the planet. And that only by following my step-by-step instructions will you be able to replicate the deliciousness that was a staple of my childhood. And I might leave out a special ingredient to insure that I am the only person who makes them perfectly...
NO!! Just kidding!! I really am going to give you the original recipe from my Grandma Lena (the greatest cookie maker of all time) and then I will even tell you the two additions that brought these babies into the modern age.
Here is the original recipe:
And here are the secret additions that make them even better -
Here are the ingredients -
3/4 cup shortening (butter flavor makes it awesome)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cloves (be generous)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (be generous again)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (be a little generous, but don't go nuts)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Do this:
Double the recipe. It's totally worth it!
Melt the Crisco over low heat. Let it cool, but not congeal.
Mix it with the sugar, molasses and egg.
In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff and put some wax paper over it (or whathaveyou) and put it in the fridge for a couple hours. Or over night. Or a couple days when you keep scheduling things on the night when you planned to make cookies.
Once the batter is cool, preheat the oven to 375, put some parchment paper on your cookie sheet, start ballin'.
(That means, roll the dough in to 1 inch balls, roll them in sugar and put them on the cookie sheet. Then tap them just enough so they don't roll around when you move them. The bottom of a jelly jar works great.)
Put them in the oven and set the timer for 8 minutes. Even if you don't think they're done, take them out after 8 minutes. As long as your oven is preheated, they will be great.
Let them cool on the sheet while you bake a second sheet. (You should have been balling your next sheet while these ones cooked! Live and learn...) Once the other ones come out, put the cookies on a rack to cool further or let your greedy family start eating them right away.
Repeat 'til the dough is gone and everyone in your house is stuffed with cookies.
You're welcome.
3/4 cup shortening (butter flavor makes it awesome)
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cloves (be generous)
1/2 teaspoon ginger (be generous again)
1 teaspoon cinnamon (be a little generous, but don't go nuts)
1/2 teaspoon salt
Do this:
Double the recipe. It's totally worth it!
Melt the Crisco over low heat. Let it cool, but not congeal.
Mix it with the sugar, molasses and egg.
In another bowl mix the flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
Add the dry stuff to the wet stuff and put some wax paper over it (or whathaveyou) and put it in the fridge for a couple hours. Or over night. Or a couple days when you keep scheduling things on the night when you planned to make cookies.
Once the batter is cool, preheat the oven to 375, put some parchment paper on your cookie sheet, start ballin'.
(That means, roll the dough in to 1 inch balls, roll them in sugar and put them on the cookie sheet. Then tap them just enough so they don't roll around when you move them. The bottom of a jelly jar works great.)
Put them in the oven and set the timer for 8 minutes. Even if you don't think they're done, take them out after 8 minutes. As long as your oven is preheated, they will be great.
Let them cool on the sheet while you bake a second sheet. (You should have been balling your next sheet while these ones cooked! Live and learn...) Once the other ones come out, put the cookies on a rack to cool further or let your greedy family start eating them right away.
Repeat 'til the dough is gone and everyone in your house is stuffed with cookies.
You're welcome.
