Molasses Cookies

Cold damp weather just makes me want to bake! I love these giant molasses cookies, they're soft, chewy, and delicious!

Molasses Cookies

6 tablespoons butter

1 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup molasses

2 eggs

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

additional sugar

Preheat oven to 350'

In a mixing bowl cream: butter, shortening, and sugar.

Add molasses and eggs and mix well.

Add flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, cloves, and ginger. Combine well.

If you feel compelled to combine the dry ingredients before you add them to the creamed mixture, by all means, please do! I just like to cheat a step. If anyone ever gets a big bite of salt or even worse, baking soda, I will act rather indignant. I will bite into another cookie, hoping that it doesn't happen to me, and say, "They taste fine to me. It must be you." That's my plan. It's an elaborate (somewhat) and not terribly well thought out plan, but I saved myself a step (and additional dirty bowl). 

I like to use an ice cream scoop to scoop the dough onto a silpat or greased cookie sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with additional sugar. Bake in 350' oven for 18-20 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool. Makes 18 jumbo cookies.