Molasses Cookies
rec.food.baking/Bill Wight/1998
Source: Good Housekeeping, Dec. 1998
Makes about 6 dozen cookies

My mom gave me some Good Housekeeping magazines and the December 1998 issue had an article on Christmas cookie recipes from the magazine staff members.

The molasses cookie recipe looked good to me and so I made a batch. There were very good, but I thought I could make them better. So I slightly modified the recipe and made several batches that I took to a Christmas party. They disappeared with amazing speed and several people told me they were the best cookie they'd ever eaten.

Here is the recipe as printed in the magazine and my changes.

3/4 cup margarine or butter (1 1/2 sticks)
1/4 cup light (mild) molasses
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon ginger, ground
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground

Preheat oven to 375F.

In 3-quart saucepan, melt the margarine or butter over low heat. Remove saucepan from heat and, with wire whisk, beat in molasses and 1 cup of the sugar until blended. With spoon, stir in flour and remaining ingredients until mixed.

Transfer dough to a medium bowl and freeze for 15 minutes or until firm enough to handle.

Spread remaining 1/4 cup sugar on waxed paper. Roll dough into 1-inch balls; roll balls in sugar to coat. Place balls, 2 1/2 inches apart, on ungreased large cookie sheet.

Bake cookies 10 to 12 minutes, until cookies spread and darken. Let cookies remain on cookie sheet 1 minute to cool slightly. Transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly-covered container for up to two weeks.

BW Notes:

Here are the variations that improve this recipe.

1. Put the 1 1/4 cups of sugar into the dough mix and omit putting sugar on the outside of the cookies.

2. Use butter and not margarine.

3. Increase the molasses to 1/2 cup.

4. Increase ginger to 1 teaspoon.

5. Cookies spread out more and get thinner when dough is not put in the freezer.

The secret to this recipe is to get the cookies out of the oven at just the right point, not to light or not to dark. When cooled, they are crispy like ginger snaps.

NOTES : When she was a girl, Sales Planner (at GH) Amy Callaway used to love rolling this cookie dough into balls and coating them with sugar. Try them this year with your helpers.