I have permission to share this recipe. When it’s a beloved family recipe, especially when it’s a family by choice and not birth, that permission is important.
The first Christmas Jim and I spent together he received a care package from his mom. Inside were Grandpa Goodrich’s molasses sugar cookies.
His excitement was palpable. It reminded me of 5 a.m. Christmas mornings when my brother and I would race downstairs, empty our stockings, and eat all the mini-candy bars mom had saved from Halloween. (We moved out and she moved on to full-sized Snickers. Harumph.)
I didn’t get it. I’ve never been a fan of gingersnaps and this didn’t have a lick of chocolate in it. Then he gave me one.
I got it. These are Christmas in a bite. Holidays on a plate. The feeling of love and warmth and a bit of spice (because holidays are never all sweet). I knew I was “in” when Jim’s mom gave me the recipe.
I didn’t get the honor of meeting Grandpa Goodrich. He was gone long before I met his grandson. But he must have been a mighty fine man to have a son like my father-in-law and a grandson like my husband.
And to make cookies like these.
Grandpa Goodrich's Molasses Sugar Cookies
This family recipe is hand-held holidays.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup shortening
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Melt the shortening and let it cool.
- Set oven to 375° F
- Add cooled shortening to bowl and add sugar, molasses, and egg. Beat well.
- Add flour, baking soda, cloves, ginger, cinnamon, and salt
- Mix well and then chill in refrigerator for thirty (30) minutes
- Form into 1-inch balls.
- Roll in sugar and then place on baking sheet, about two inches apart.
- Press down lightly to flatten a bit.
- Bake for 7 - 10 minutes until the tops of the cookies begin to crack a bit. For softer cookies, remove from oven when the middles are solid and the edges start to brown. For crisper cookies, leave in a bit longer.
- EAT THEM ALL.
Guilty Pleasure: Homemade Spaghetti Os