Soft Molasses Drop Cookies

I'm not a big fan of store bought cookies, well . . . unless you are talking about Digestive biscuits . . . those I find completely moreish, oh . . . and Tunnocks Tea Cakes, they're pretty scrummy as well. I do like homemade biscuits and cookies the best of all though. I make a lot of chocolate chip at work as well as oatmeal. They go down a real treat. I like the old fashioned kinds of cookies best of all. My mom always makes a tin of old fashioned rolled out Molasses cookies for me when I go home and they taste so good, especially with a tall glass of cold milk.

I love these molasses cookies here today as well. They are old fashioned, spicy and soft. They kind of remind me of little gingerbreads. You don't have to ice them, but I like to and then I add a sprinkle of sultana raisins on top . . . just because. You could also sprinkle them with chopped nuts, or even both! Or you could just be lazy and stir them into the batter before baking. They're delicious any way you choose to do it.



Soft Molasses Drop Cookies
Makes about 36
Printable Recipe

These are everything a good molasses cookie should be in my opinion. Crisp on the outside and meltingly tender on the inside and faintly spicy. These smell wonderful when they are cooking. I always ice mine and top with a few sultana raisins. You don't have to do this if you don't want. They are quite lovely without it. You may also stir in a couple handfuls of raisins and chopped nuts if you wish as well.

3/4 cup shortening
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground powdered ginger
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp salt
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 to 3/4 cup milk
Optional Topping:
Vanilla butter cream icing and sultanas

Pre-heat the oven to 180*C/350*F. Line several baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

Cream the shortening and the sugar together, until fluffy. Beat in the egg, vanilla and molasses. Whisk the flour, soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt together and beat this iinto the creamed mixture alternately with the milk, only adding enough milk to give you a good dropping consistency. You don't want it too wet.

Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto the parchment lined baking sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until lightly browned on the bottoms and set on the tops. Remove from the oven to wire racks to cool completely before icing if desired.