They are perfect warm out of the oven but they also make quite a nice little breakfast when accompanied by a big glass of ice cold milk. (Hey, it's no worse than a bowl of sugary cereal!) So when I got a hint that cookies might be an appropriate graduation present for someone, I decided that it was going to have to be the molasses cookies. Time to share the addiction with a whole new audience!
Grandma Dale's Molasses Cookies
3/4 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp salt
approx 1/4 cup granulated sugar for rolling
Start with all ingredients at room temperature. In a medium bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Set aside.
In a large bowl cream together the shortening and sugar until smooth. This can be done with a mixer or with a wooden spoon and a little elbow grease. Add the molasses and egg, and mix until all the ingredients are incorporated and the mixture is smooth and evenly brown. Add the dry ingredients to the wet in small increments, mixing thoroughly after each addition.
Once the mixture is well combined and evenly light brown; press the mixture into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, and up to twenty four hours. Let the dough rest on the counter for a few minutes while the oven is pre-heating to 375 degrees F. Place about 1/4 cup granulated sugar in a small bowl, and breaking the dough into small pieces roll the pieces between your palms until you have 1/2 inch balls. Place a few balls at a time in the bowl of sugar, and gently shake the bowl until the cookies are covered on all sides. Place the cookies at least 1 inch apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.
Bake at 375 for 7-8 minutes or until the cookies are darkening in color and the tops are cracking, but they're still a little soft to the touch. Don't overbake them, or they'll come out crunchy like a gingersnap, and the goal here is soft and chewy. Remove them from the pan carefully, they will still be soft and can break easily. Let them cool on a wire rack. Then store in an airtight container for up to a week. If they start getting a little dry put a slice of bread in the container with them, and they'll soften up again in a few hours. With 1/2 inch size cookies (pre-baked) you'll get seventy cookies about the size of a gingersnap, but oh-so-much better. Or, you can make the balls bigger, and get fewer big, thick, soft cookies--just make sure to add an extra minute or so of cooking time if you make them bigger.
2 comments:
i love seeing you guys at parties, especially when you bring cookies.
xov.
Hi, I have made these cookies twice. My husband loves them ;0) These are just like his grandma use to make him! We make them exactly as the recipe says with the except that I don't refrigerate the dough and I use a glass dipped in sugar to flatten out the dough ball. Soooo yummy! Thanks for sharing Grandma Dale's recipe!
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