Molasses Cookies
These cookies can be considered gingerbread cookies, and originally were named as such. They resemble the molasses cookies made by Archway; they use relatively little ginger and are thus not as spicy hot as gingerbread cookies from many other recipes. They are usually somewhat soft and not at all gooey, being halfway between crumbly and chewy. They are generally not crisp, but can be slightly crisp if thoroughly cooked. The recipe works for both drop cookies and rolled cookies, with a bit of adj
- Prep
- 26 min
- Cook
- 1 hr 2 min
- Total
- 1 hr 28 min
- Servings
- As written in source
- Difficulty
- Medium
Timings are approximate — worked out from the method, not measured in a test kitchen.
Ingredients
Quantities are retained as written by the source and do not scale automatically. Tap an ingredient to check it off as you go.
Cooking instructions
Procedure
Grease or parchment-line some cookie sheets.
Procedure
Combine the vinegar and milk.
Procedure
Combine the baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and 2½ cups of flour.
Procedure
Cream together the sugar and shortening until well-combined, then beat in the molasses and egg until smooth.
Procedure
Alternately mix in the dry and milk mixtures, starting and ending with the dry mixture.
Procedure
Bit by bit, mix in more flour as needed. For drop cookies, you might not add any more. For rolled cookies produced without refrigeration, you are likely to need an extra 1½ cup for a total of 4 cups. Refrigeration can reduce this slightly.
Procedure
Chill the batter in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
Procedure
Form the cookies. If making drop cookies, scoop some batter onto the prepared cookie sheet. Using a bit of sugar to prevent sticking, squish the cookie with a glass. Press some toppings into the top of the cookie. Plop a pint-sized blob of batter onto a flour-dusted surface. Dust the top of the dough with flour as you squish it down, then roll it out. A cold marble rolling pin is suggested. Cut out shapes, then place them on the cookie sheet. The unused dough may be put back into the mix; note that this increases the proportion of flour.
Procedure
Bake cookies for 8–10 minutes at 375°F.
Notes, tips, and variations
Softened unsalted butter may be substituted for the shortening. Lard is an even better substitute.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Naib assumed (based on copyr · CC BY-SA 2.5 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.5 · Photo source and licence
Wikibooks contributors · CC BY-SA 4.0 · https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ · Adapted; quantities retained as written. · Original source
Read it through first
Skim all 10 steps before you start — it is the difference between cooking and firefighting.
Scale it
Use the quantities listed in the original recipe. Adjust them manually if making a different batch size.
Storage
Cool completely, then keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
Reheating
Reheat gently with a splash of water in a covered pan, rather than blasting it, so nothing dries out.
Approximate values per serving. Worked out from the ingredient list — treat them as a guide, not a measurement.
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