Great Grandma's Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies
This recipe was created by my Great Grandmother and I found it in her 1967 Ward Cookbook. I plan on trying this recipe out soon to make sure it will turn out good.
This recipe was created by my Great Grandmother and I found it in her 1967 Ward Cookbook. I plan on trying this recipe out soon to make sure it will turn out good.
- Carbohydrate 1049.00895252012 g
- Cholesterol 2456.4 mg
- Fat 249.64293500031 g
- Fiber 22.4586000255562 g
- Protein 118.722210000996 g
- Saturated Fat 114.853252500086 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (1957g)
- Sodium 3900.68175000099 mg
- Sugar 1026.55035249456 g
- Trans Fat 21.190428000145 g
- Calories 6859 calories
Step-by-step
- Cream sugar, eggs, lard and butter together until fluffy.
- Then mix together baking soda and molasses until frothy.
- Combine this mixture with the sugar and eggs.
- Add warm water and flour and cinnamon (that have been sifted together).
- Then add the vanilla.
- Make sure all ingredients have been mixed together before continuing on.
- Put through a cookie press or drop from a spoon and press flat with a glass.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven.
- Put powdered sugar frosting between two cookies.
- Flavor frosting with 1 t. of molasses.
- Frost while cookies are still hot.
Swapping half the butter for rendered lard changes the physical structure of these cookies significantly, yielding a tender crumb because animal fats shorten gluten strands more effectively than dairy fats do. Understanding the underlying chemistry helps execute vintage formulas successfully without altering texture.
- Cream the 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup lard with the sugar until the mixture is pale and visibly aerated, incorporating tiny air pockets that the baking soda will later expand.
- Dissolve the 2 teaspoons of baking soda in the 3 tablespoons of warm water before combining it with the 1/4 cup molasses to initiate the leavening reaction properly.
- Sift the 3 1/2 cups flour with the 1 tablespoon cinnamon to evenly distribute the spice and prevent dense pockets of flavor.
- Bake the shaped dough at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until the edges are set and golden, watching closely since high sugar content browns quickly.
- Apply the molasses-flavored powdered sugar frosting while the baked goods are still hot to create a thin, crackled glaze that seals in moisture.
Storing baked items in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days allows the spices to mellow and the crumb to soften further. Second-day leftovers often taste richer as the molasses continues to condition the surrounding starches.
