A soft molasses drop cookie redolent of holiday spices. It has the texture of a dense cake, stays moist if stored properly, and tastes like Christmas. This vintage cookie recipe was handed down from my great-grandma Sears and found in my Grandma Evelyn’s hand-written recipe cards.
Ingredients
1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg yolk
1 cups molasses
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup boiling water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350 F and grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper. Cream together shortening and sugar. Add egg yolk and molasses. Stir together baking soda, salt, flour, ginger and nutmeg. Add vinegar to water. Gradually stir flour mixture into shortening mixture, alternating with hot water. Drop by heaping tablespoons onto prepared baking sheet 3″ apart. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Store in an airtight container.
Notes
- Photo thanks to Jim Rees cc.