Award Winning Molasses Cookies

I really like chocolate chip cookies. And butter cookies with brightly colored powdered sugar frosting. And snickerdoodles. And sugar cookies. Really, I like pretty much any cookie that doesn't involve nuts or raisins. But to my tastebuds' way of thinking, nothing compares with molasses cookies. They're like the friendlier, more comfortable cousin of a gingersnap. Spicy, chewy, sweet, and satisfying, these cookies are like crack for me. Well not that I really know what crack is like, but they're addicting, to say the least. The recipe was originally my great-great grandma's, and has been handed down through the generations in our family for the enjoyment of all. Some forty-odd years ago my grandma even won a ribbon at the Pima County Fair with these cookies.

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.

The cookies were a hit at the graduation party. And it was pointed out to me that the sugar on the cookies glistens prettily in the moonlight, which makes these cookies not only delicious and relatively low-calorie, but also beautiful in their simplicity.