Secret Family Recipe Molasses Cookies

In my family, this unique recipe for molasses cookies is something that is seriously cherished. My Great Grandmother, Mimi, created this recipe for molasses cookies herself, and my aunt and I have spent years trying to perfect it. With tons of spices and creamy frosting, they are an amazingly moist and comforting dessert for any occasion. 

Mimi's Molasses Cookies

• Prep Time:45 mins
• Cook Time:8 mins
• Total Time:53 mins
• Servings:30
• Hard

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup shortening Crisco
• 1 cup molasses
• 2 egg whites beaten stiff
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cloves
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 Tablespoon baking soda dissolved in 3/4 cup boiling water
• 5 1/2 cups flour
• Extra flour for rolling

• Step 1

  In a bowl, blend sugar, shortening, and molasses. Add spices.

  

• Step 2

  In a mixer, beat egg whites stiff. Then, fold the other batter into the egg whites a little bit at a time.

  

• Step 3

  Boil a cup of water and add the baking soda to it (until the sizzling settles). Add this to the batter alternating between the water mixture and a cup of flour. Do this until all of the baking soda water and flour is added.

  

• Step 4

  Spread out some flour onto a flat surface and place the dough on top of it. Roll out the dough and cut the cookies with any shape cookie cutter.

  

• Step 5

  Bake for 8 minutes at 350°F until the cookies look slightly fluffy.

  

This recipe has a lot of complicated steps, but the final product is a chewy spice cookie with tons of flavor. While this might seem like an outdated recipe, my Great Grandmother, Mimi, definitely knew what she was doing.  

She added in the detail of boiling the water and adding the baking soda to it in order to start the chemical reaction that the cookies need to rise. She also used egg whites to make the cookies were light and extra fluffy. Every detail of this recipe was handcrafted to make the perfect molasses cookie. Not to mention she made this recipe naturally dairy-free.

Along with her genius, I would say my biggest tip for this recipe is to take the cookies out at exactly 8 minutes even if they don't look like they are totally done. They will bake more on the cookie sheet while cooling, which could make them too dry in the end. These molasses cookies are best chewy and moist with a little vanilla frosting on top, which is shown below. 

Vanilla Cookie Frosting

• Prep Time:8 mins
• Cook Time:0
• Total Time:8 mins
• Servings:30
• Easy

Ingredients

• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/2 cup Crisco
• 2 Tablespoons coconut milk
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

• Step 1

  Add all of the ingredients to a mixer and blend until the frosting is stiff and smooth.

  

With a swipe of this delicious frosting, these cookies will go to the next level. Molasses is what makes these cookies great, but it is one of those ingredients that cannot stand alone. Thanks to my Great Grandma, this secret family recipe has been passed down through three generations. 

These are the cookies that my family fight over during Christmas time, and my friends beg me to make all year round. They are truly unique to my family and delicious to all. It is definitely one of those recipes that requires a little practice and careful thinking. However, if you put in the effort to make them and follow the directions exactly, you will have yourself the perfect cookie.