Molasses Cookies :)

   My mother made these last weekend and I helped :) Translation: My mother gets 99% of the credit for this post (Thanks, Mama!!!) Other than being delicious, this recipe also has a story. My mother and I both have copies of the Rumford Complete Cook Book, which has been around for over 50 years. I found my copy at a garage sale, and my mother inherited her copy of the book from her grandmother, my great-grandmother, Myrtle. I never had the privilege of meeting this woman, who passed away a few years before I was born, but I am told she was hilarious, feisty but sweet, and quite the baker :) Tucked into the pages of the cookbook was a piece of paper with the following recipe, handwritten by my great-grandmother, which elevates it from *delicious* to *awesome*. Because not only is it a yummy cookie recipe, it is a piece of family history, and that's pretty darn cool :)

*Note: Gramma Myrtle's recipe did not include an oven temp or baking time, those were added by my mother.

Molasses Cookies
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup shortening (the original recipe calls for lard, that's not my groove, but if you're not opposed, go ahead)
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup molasses
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups flour
- sugar for dusting the tops of the cookies


- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl (order doesn't really matter)
- Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet, sprinkle tops lightly with sugar
- Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until done (i.e. no longer gooey)
*WARNING* These cookies will burn on the bottom if you let them go too long, so watch them closely for that 10-12 minutes.

This cookie is pleasantly spicy and not overly sweet, which is a nice change. They are lovely with coffee, tea, and cold milk :) Crumbling them over vanilla ice cream with a drizzle of maple syrup wouldn't hurt either :)

Thanks Gramma, I hope you can see this :)

Love,
Lynn