Recently my son, Dude Martha, was in the mood to bake cookies. I’m always happy to turn the kitchen over to him and reap the benefits. I suggested my grandmother’s molasses cookies, which are one of THE BEST cookies you will ever taste – rich, dark, soft, and chewy, they are incredible. He did a great job making them and the house smelled wonderful. The cookies quickly disappeared though. I thought I would share the recipe:
Gai’s Molasses Cookies
¾ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
¼ cup molasses
2 ¼ cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Mix shortening, brown sugar, egg and molasses, then add other ingredients. Roll into balls and dip the tops in water then white sugar. Bake at 375 for 10 to 12 minutes.
Martha and Me 
Yum! Here’s something that would make my husband very happy on this cold, rainy day. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I just had to say that I love that he’s “dude Martha.” So adorable.
Can I just say how much I love molasses cookies? I’m so making these ASAP!!
and isn’t molasses super good for you too? don’t they give that stuff by the spoonful to lactacting women or some such?
regardless, can you whip me up a batch? right now. it’s time for my chai and cookies fix. um, please.
Go Dude Martha! These look great 🙂
Yes! I can’t wait to make these. I love cooking with molasses because it’s full of iron and other nutrients. Please thank Dude Martha for me. I’ll try to remember to report back about how they turn out!
These sound lovely. I’ll have to try making them with spelt and let you know how they go, as I’m off wheat at the moment.
I know, I love it too. It just tastes so nourishing to me somehow.
We made the cookies yesterday and they were fantastic. We used whole spelt flour and whole wheat flour instead of white flour, and we shorted the sugar by an eighth of a cup and added just a tad more molasses. And we used butter since we don’t cook with shortening. The cookies were chewy and crisp at the same time and just perfect. A totally awesome recipe. Melanie (aka Frugal Kiwi), I’ll be eager to hear how yours came out!
Wonderful. When you use butter they are crisp. My grandmother used stick margarine. I’ve tried it both ways and the margarine is the way that tastes like hers to me.
Molasses has a lot of iron in it I think and some other minerals. Sure, c’mon over and I’ll share.
Molasses always makes me think of my grandmother – and I had no idea it has iron in it! Thank you so much for sharing your grandmother’s recipe for molasses cookies. I can’t wait to try making them.
It is a grandmother thing, isn’t it?