gene (02/14/83)
In response to the request for molasses cookies recipes, here are 2.
Poor man's cookies" uses bacon fat which once was cheap (Remember saving it
during WWII?). Anyway, they are good sized thick and soft cookies. They can
be eaten raw, plain, dunked in cocoa, iced, and are excellent to cut by molds.
We use them at Christmas, making Santas, trees, stars and the like.
Lindy's soft molasses cookies (Poor man's cookies)
combine the following:
1 cup bacon fat (never tried shortening, but it should work)
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
2 whole eggs
into which add the following mixture:
1 cup boiling water
2 tsp baking soda
mix
1 tsp each of ground cloves, nutmeg, ginger,allspice, cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
6 cups flour
Combine wet and dry ingredients. Chill and roll, leaving rather thick. Bake
15 min or more at 375. Moisten them with milk and sprinkle with sugar and
decorate with raisins (or chips or nuts).
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I find these ginger cookies good general purpose cookies which can have
lots of variants depending in decoration and cooking style.
Ginger cookies
(I usually double this recipe and it makes about 5 dozen)
Cream 3/4 cup shortening until soft. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, creaming
after each addition until fluffy. Beat in 1 whole egg and 1/4 cup molasses.
Sift together 2 cups flour, 1 tsp ginger, 1 tst cinnamon, 1 tsp baking soda,
+scant tsp salt. Blend into sugar mixture. Form into 3/4" balls. Roll in
granulated sugar. Place on greased pan and bake in 350 oven 10-12 min.
Note: it is not necessary to flatten the balls. They will flatten in oven.
Add nuts or chocolate chips to batter. I like the cookies crisp on the
outside, soft inside so I cook them to a slight darkness. My daughter
likes them chewy, so she cooks them 1-2 min less.