This week, one of the mums in Maddie’s class gave me a plate of these cookies. They were so good. Too good for someone who is supposed to be on a diet! I have been wanting a soft, molasses cookie recipe for years. I had the mum send me the recipe, so here it is. Enjoy!

Michelle’s Molasses Cookies

Ingredients:
3 oz/ 6T Crisco
90 g/ 6T butter
1 C brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg
¼ C original molasses
2 ¼ C flour
2 t baking soda
¼ t salt
½ t ground cloves
1 t cinnamon
1 t ginger
1/3 C granulated sugar

Directions:
Cream shortening, butter, and brown sugar. Add egg and molasses and beat thoroughly.
Combine dry ingredients except for granulated sugar; stir into molasses mixture.
Chill dough for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 375 F or 190 C.
Form dough into 1” diameter balls (or medium-sized pampered chef scoop). Roll each ball in granulated sugar.
Place on cookie sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes or until just set. They should be soft. Do not over-bake. Makes approximately 33 cookies.

1 cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
2 ¾ cups flour

3 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Cream butter and sugar together and add eggs. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Form cookie dough into one inch balls. Combine 3 tablespoons of sugar and 2 teaspoons of cinnamon. Roll balls in sugar/cinnamon and place two inches apart on ungreased cookie pans. Bake at 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

1 cup sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup dark molasses
1 egg
2 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground cloves

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix sugar, oil, molasses, and egg; stir in flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Divide dough into quarters. Shape each quarter into a 15”X3” strip placing two strips 3 inches apart on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until edges are light brown and tops appear cracked, 6-7 minutes for soft cookies and 8-9 minutes for crisp cookies. Cool 2 minutes. Cut each strip crosswise into 1-inch slices; remove from cookie sheet. Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

1 cup raisins
1 cup water
¾ cup butter
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ½ cups flour
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cloves
2 cups rolled oats
½ cup chopped nuts

Simmer raisins and water over medium heat until raisins are plump, about 15 minutes. Drain raisins, reserving the liquid. Add enough water to reserved liquid to measure ½ cup.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix thoroughly butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir in reserved liquid. Blend in remaining ingredients. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown.

Reese’s peanut butter cups (I can’t remember how many cookies this recipe makes. If you make them let me know and we will add it to the recipe. It will be helpful to know how many peanut butter cups are needed)
Combine:

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup softened margarine or butter

and beat till light and fluffy, whether by hand or in an electric mixer.

Add:

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 large egg (room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Blend for several minutes.

Add dry ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
Pinch of salt, more if peanut butter is unsalted

and fold in. Batter will be fairly soft. Chill dough. Also, chill Reese’s peanut butter cups.

To bake: Preheat oven to 350 F.

Bring dough out at the same time you start the oven preheating. I sometimes use this time to unwrap the peanut butter cups (which I put back in the fridge … this is the one thing you want cold). I use my trusty 1″ scoop to portion it out. Try for a scant fill (around half the scoop) as that means that you will get more cookies.

8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chopped (chocolate chips work well)
1 ¼ cups all purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick butter), softened
1 ½ cups packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/3 cup milk
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup powdered sugar
32 mint Hershey’s Kisses*

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Melt chocolate in a heat proof bowl over a pan of simmering water, stirring. Set aside and let cool. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

2. Mix butter and brown sugar on medium speed until pale and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla, and then the melted chocolate. Reduce speed to low, mix in flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk. Divide the dough into 4 pieces (approximately 265 grams each). Wrap each in plastic; refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.

3. Divide each piece into 8 balls. Roll in granulated sugar to coat, then in powdered sugar to coat. (Rolling in granulated sugar first keeps the powdered sugar from being absorbed into the cookie, maintaining the snowy appearance) Space 2 inches apart on the baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

4. Bake until surfaces crack, about 14 minutes. Remove from oven and press a mint Hershey’s Kiss in the center of each cookie. Let cool on sheets on wire racks.

*If you cannot find mint kisses you can buy mint chocolate bars, cut into squares and put in the middle of each cookie after baking. Sometimes the chocolate does not harden again fast enough for me and I put the tray in the refrigerator for a short time.

Cookies
1 box devil’s food cake mix
3/4 cup butter of margarine, softened
2 eggs
Frosting
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
2 tablespoons vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar

In a large bowl combine cake mix, the 3/4 cup butter and eggs. Chill about 10 minutes. Roll into small balls about 1 teaspoon cookie dough per ball. I use a cookie scoop so they turn out a uniform size. Place on a greased baking sheet or line baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 7 to 9 minutes. Cool.