Blog Cookie Swap: Ginger Molasses Crinkles

The oddest things bring me cheer these days.  I was so excited to see the idea of a blog cookie swap, over at Life Of a Doctor’s Wife (the 4th item).  

I opted to make Ginger Molasses Crinkles, which hardly anyone in the family but me likes.  A treat for me!  I made half a batch, because there will be other Christmas sweets in due course.  I will give you the recipe first (unlike tedious cooking blogs) and then my verbiage.

Ginger-Molasses Crinkles HALF-RECIPE

This makes 2 dozen.

6 Tablespoons shortening

1/2 cup white sugar, plus more for rolling

1/2 egg

2 Tbsp molasses

1 cup flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ginger

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp salt

Cream shortening and sugar.  Add egg, then molasses and other ingredients.  Mix.  

Put the batter in a container and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.  

Preheat oven to 350 F.  

Form small balls and roll in granulated sugar.  Place on greased cookie sheet (but I don’t grease the sheet and it’s fine).  Bake at 350F for 5 to 8 minutes.  

Leave them sitting on the cookie tray until they “burst”, then move gently to a cooling rack.

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This recipe was given to me by a friend.  These cookies are quite easy, and I find it magical how the crinkles occur spontaneously during/after baking.  

After we made pies at Thanksgiving,
I asked my son to clearly label the 
unflavored shortening.  
And he did.

Fortunately I had all the ingredients in the house.  About a year ago, Someone-Not-Me purchased butter-flavored shortening, but, just, no.  I thought I might have to use it this time, but I had enough in the carefully-labeled non-butter-flavored regular shortening.

“Grandma’s” molasses is a hearty substance – I’ve had this jar for several years, and it is good through next year.  And didn’t I read somewhere that “best by” dates are hokum anyway?  

By a miracle, the molasses jar was easy to open.  I must have taken great care to clean it off a year ago, before putting the lid on.  Molasses is notoriously hard to handle, and I find it amazing to think that it travelled at 35 mph during the Great Molasses Flood of 1919.  Measuring the molasses is probably the most difficult part of this cookie recipe.

Molasses is one of those ingredients
that look rather evil in the
mixing bowl.

It was a little difficult doling out half an egg.  Next time I am going to see what happens if I use the entire egg in the half recipe.

It's a tiny amount of batter!

It is a pleasant and healing task to make the little balls of dough and roll them in sugar.  I forgot to take a photo of them on the cookie sheet before baking.  The CHH said they looked like snickerdoodles, which are baked the same way.

In the oven the magic occurs, and in just a few short minutes, tiny San Andreas faults happen in the cookies.  Be sure to let them cool on the cookie sheet.  

So simple and crinkled

These cookies are soft and delightful.  Danger, Will Robinson: If you cook them for too long, they will turn into gingersnaps.  

They freeze well.  Cool completely, and wrap securely.

For a much more involved Christmas baking blog post, check out our Robert Frost gingerbread scene from a few years ago.

I used the half egg in tonight's dinner,
which was crustless quiche.