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'Antique' Holiday Molasses Cookies

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These are close copies of Archway molasses cookies. They're chewy, gooey, and a perfect addition to any holiday feast. The Pilgrims would have been a happier bunch if they'd had these laying around.

Original recipe includes this folk lore:

The known history of this recipe starts from eavesdropping on a party-line telephone during the early 1900s. The age of this recipe appears to explain many odd features. At the time, baking powder did not exist. Thus this recipe uses baking soda, with sour milk (now created via vinegar, so don't panic) as the acid. Ginger would have been expensive. The recipe originally called for an undefined amount of flour that turned out to be around 8 cups (1/2 gallon), which would feed a family of a dozen or so. The recipe has been cut in half for the benefit of less-productive parents.
 
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Step 1Ingredients

Ingredients
1/2 Tbsp vinegar
1/2 c milk (minus 1/2 T for the vinegar)
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c shortening (butter or lard will also work)
1 egg
1 c molasses
4 c flour (approximate upper limit; see instructions below)
2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ginger
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8 comments
Dec 18, 2011. 12:03 PMmagician176 says:
Hello Ian, lovely recipe, a must try! The Karnemelk you refer to is actually "Buttermilk", the residue when butter are made. It have a lovely taste and I make rusks with it called "Buttermilk Rusks"
Regards
ED
May 3, 2010. 9:07 PMRobot Lover says:

I've had cookies, and have had molasses, but never together in one tasty treat! Great pictures and documentation! 5/5

RL

Dec 20, 2009. 1:25 PMgannon says:
Good recipe.  I add 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves to make them a bit more spicier.
Nov 25, 2007. 6:07 AMsuperslowmo says:
"joe frogger" only has 126,000 google hits (and seems to be a massachusetts thing) while "molasses cookies" has 889,000.
Nov 23, 2007. 2:21 PMthread_soul says:
*looks at BabyBruschetta's post below, puzzled look arises over apparent hostility regarding the regional naming difference and folklore of a cookie...moves on*
Nov 23, 2007. 12:01 AMBabyBruschetta says:
These are called Joe Frogger's cookies. I'd give you the background, but if you really care, you'll look it up. and, there's the whole, well screw you anyway factor as well. hard to get over that one.
Nov 22, 2007. 6:59 AMcallmeshane says:
Hmmm getting older means getting smarter..... Given a choice between a weekend in bed with my girlfriend having great sex, OR eating these yummy cookies with whipped cream..... The older smarter answer... I'll have both. : )
Nov 30, 2006. 4:47 AMCrash2108 says:
Nice. I can't help but thinking about those with chocolate chips.

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Author:ian(DangerousPrototypes.com)