T.T.: Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

This is not really the traditional time of year to be trying out new cookie recipes--New Year's resolutions? what're those?--but someone asked for my molasses cookie recipe. And so I must, of course, oblige.

So! Who here has ever even eaten a molasses cookie? Anyone? Bueller?

Yeah, I hadn't, either, until the MiL made them some years ago. It is, as noted in the post title, an old-fashioned kind of cookie. It's more spicy, less rich than modern cookies. It's the sort of cookie I can imagine keeping in a cookie jar so kids could have a few every day*. 

Did you ever wonder why "cookies and milk" used to be considered a wholesome snack for children? It's because it would traditionally be cookies like this, not "monster cookies" or whatever. 

This recipe came to me, of course, from the MiL. She got it from her mother, who got it from her mother. And that was Grandma Bishop, of chocolate cake fame.

Grandma Bishop's recipe would make a huge quantity of cookies. Even the half recipe that I'm posting here for you will make about 50 medium-sized cookies. The original recipe is obviously the sort of thing meant to fill a cookie jar for a week's worth of cookies for a big family. If that sounds good to you, by all means, double this.

This recipe requires the dough to be chilled very well so it can be rolled out and cut, like sugar cookies. So you can make it ahead and either bake all the cookies after chilling the dough for a few hours, or keep the dough covered in the refrigerator and bake it in batches over a couple of days.

Grandma Bishop's Molasses Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup lard OR 1/2 cup plus a tablespoon more of butter or neutral oil (the MiL noted that if you use butter, you need more fat because of the milk solids in the butter--she's a smart one, that MiL)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 cup molasses

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cloves

pinch of salt

2.5 cups-3 cups flour (might need more or less depending on humidity)

Instructions

1) Cream together the fat and sugar, then mix in the egg.

2) Mix in the molasses.

3) Add the rest of the ingredients and mix until fully incorporated.

4) Chill before rolling out. I usually stick it in the freezer for a half hour or so, but you can put it in the refrigerator for at least a couple of hours.

5) Pre-heat the oven to 375 degress.

6) Roll out the dough, not too thin--as if making sugar cookies--and cut in whatever shapes you wish. If the dough is too sticky, add more flour. If it is too dry and is cracking, add a bit of milk.

7) Bake about ten minutes, but keep an eye on them, because you don't want to overbake them. I think mine were in for more like 8 or 9 minutes. You want to pull them out before you see any browning on the edges.

8) The MiL noted that you can sprinkle sugar on top if you'd like. I didn't, but I bet that would be good.

9) Store in an airtight container. Put a piece of bread or a piece of apple in the container with the cookies to keep them soft. If storing for longer than a day, replace the bread or apple with a fresh piece as needed to keep the cookies from drying out.

The hearts and shamrocks got a bit overbaked. The circles were perfect.

This is not a particularly fast recipe, but it does make for some delicious cookie-jar cookies. I would say they're even suitable for these days of New Year's resolutions. Enjoy!

* Not that I do this. I don't need to have a supply of cookies on hand for my children, who are not working on a farm every day.