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–+ servings
Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies on a blue willow plate

Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies

The tantalizing aroma of molasses cookies creates an atmosphere of comfort and warmth in your home. This recipe for old-fashioned molasses cookies is easy to follow and will be your new family favorite!
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook Time: 7 minutes
Resting Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 1 hour 52 minutes
Servings: 30 more or less depending how thick you roll the dough and the size of your cookie cutter
Calories: 156kcal
Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 4 cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 2 tsp baking soda
  • 4 ½ tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 ½ cups molasses
  • ½ cup lard or coconut oil - melted
  • ¼ cup butter
  • 5 Tbs hot water
  • sugar for sprinkling tops of cookies
Instructions
Instructions
  • Preheat oven to 425
  • In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together with a wooden spoon. 
  • When well blended, pour in the melted oil, butter, and the molasses and mix well. 
  • Now add the hot water and mix well again.
  • Let the dough rest in your bowl for one full hour. This is a very important step so don’t shorten the time.
  • After the hour is up, take out a small portion, I usually do one-fifth of the dough at a time. Using a rolling pin, roll it out to between 1/8″ to 1/4 ” thick (I go closer to 1/8″).
  • Cut the cookies into round shapes. You can use a cookie-cutter, a jar lid, or a glass.
  • Roll up any dough left over after cutting and add it to the next portion.
  • You can bake one tray while you’re preparing another portion of dough and cutting cookies
  • Repeat until all the dough is used.
  • The last piece from the final portion gets shaped by hand and baked. We don’t waste any of this delicious dough.
  • Place the cookies on a parchment-lined cookie tray and sprinkle tops with sugar.
  • Bake at 425° for seven minutes. 
  • Remove to a cooling rack and allow to cool – Enjoy!

Notes

  • This recipe is easily doubled to make a larger batch.
  • For thicker cookies, don’t roll out as thin.
  • You don’t need to flour your surface to roll them out. The oil and molasses keep them from sticking to the surface. Adding extra flour will change the texture of the cookie.
  • Be careful not to over bake, they burn easily you can’t judge by the color.
  • Some people don’t like the taste of ginger in molasses cookies. You can always decrease the amount of ginger or even try leaving it out, but it won’t be the same scrumptious cookie.
  • When I was a young mother and made these cookies for my sons, I thought I knew better than my grandmother so I skipped the one-hour waiting….Boy did I make a mess. I learned my lesson. The one-hour waiting allows the baking soda to do its job and for the ingredients to set together well.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Old-Fashioned Molasses Cookies
Amount per Serving
Calories
 
156
Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
5
g
8
%
Saturated Fat
 
4
g
25
%
Trans Fat
 
1
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
1
g
Cholesterol
 
4
mg
1
%
Sodium
 
132
mg
6
%
Potassium
 
268
mg
8
%
Carbohydrates
 
26
g
9
%
Fiber
 
1
g
4
%
Sugar
 
13
g
14
%
Protein
 
2
g
4
%
Vitamin A
 
48
IU
1
%
Vitamin C
 
1
mg
1
%
Calcium
 
41
mg
4
%
Iron
 
2
mg
11
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.