Authentic Molasses Cookies

by Charlie Burke - Food Writer for The Heart of New England

Molasses has been a popular ingredient in New England cooking since at least the nineteenth century. Clipper ships brought cane sugar to New England from Caribbean islands, and rum and molasses were manufactured here. A bizarre disaster occurred long ago in Boston's North End when a huge molasses storage tank ruptured resulting in many deaths.

My wife was given this recipe and told it was quite old; the results are anything but a disaster! Wafer thin and crisp, these are like no other molasses cookie we've ever had. The dough stores well in the refrigerator and can be sliced and cooked in minutes. The best molasses we've ever had is sold at The Old Country Store at Moultonborough Corner in Moultonborough, New Hampshire which boasts of being a country store since 1781.

1 cup molasses
1/2 pound butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup hot water
4 cups flour
2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Heat the molasses to a boil. Remove from heat and add butter, stirring until melted. Place the sugar in a deep bowl and add soda to the hot water; pour water into the molasses. Pour the molasses mixture into the bowl of sugar and thoroughly mix. Add spices, flour and salt and mix with molasses and sugar. Pour into a loaf pan lined with parchment paper or waxed paper and refrigerate about an hour.

Preheat oven to 325. Cut dough as thin as possible and bake on a non-stick surface or a greased sheet for 15 minutes. Cool on a rack as soon as done. They will be great for the holidays, and we're betting they'll be a family favorite.

Note: About the author: An organic farmer and avid cook, writer Charlie Burke is the vice president of the New Hampshire Farmer's Market Association (www.nhfma.org) and helps run the Sanbornton Farmers' Market. His column & recipes appear weekly in The Heart of New England's newsletter... get a free subscription by sending a blank email to:mailto:heartofnewengland-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or visit www.TheHeartofNewEngland.com.

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Reviews of Authentic Molasses Cookies:

1-5 of 9 reviews   Next >>

  Serrena in Fremont, Ca  Dec 29, 2008
Would make this again.
These cookies are a real hit with the older generation in my family. My mother and grandparents absolutely love them.

The dough does store well, and the recipe makes tons of cookies (at least 100).

The key to making crisp cookies is slicing the dough as thin as possible. And baking the cookies until the dough turns to a slightly darker shade of brouwn. After refrigerating the dough overnight, I put it in the freezer for 45 minutes. Then I use an electric slicer to slice the cookies as thin as possible. This makes quick work of slicing all those cookies.

The cookies need to be stored in an air tight container, or they will loose their crispness. Don't store them together with other cookies or they will get chewy four stars

  A cookie baker in Brazil  Nov 21, 2008
Would make this again.
Very Goody!!! five stars

  Robin in Sweden  Mar 18, 2008
Would make this again.
Very good cookie me and my mum made them. I would deffintly make them again. five stars

  Julie in Philadelphia, PA  Dec 24, 2007
Would make this again.
These were great fun to make and delicious. We like them soft and chewy, so prefer to cut them thick and bake for about 11 minutes. The bubbling brew when the baking soda-water was added was exciting for the younger bakers. five stars

  Emilie in Québec city, Canada  Dec 3, 2007
Would make this again.
These are really good, everyone enjoyed them. five stars

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