In my continuing quest for a truly delicious, easy to make, no-chill recipe for molasses cookies, I’ve finally struck gold!
This is an old-time recipe for a soft and chewy molasses cookie known in eastern Canada as “Lumberjacks” for reasons unknown. I found it last weekend in an old recipe box in Aunt Anne’s basement, in a pile of things set aside when the old homestead was sold.
He Who Craves Cookies has declared these molasses cookies “the best ones yet”! Good thing this recipe makes 4 dozen big ones!
Lumberjacks (Soft Molasses Cookies)
1 cup lard or shortening
1 cup dark molasses
2 eggs
4 cups sifted flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
Cream the sugar and shortening, add the molasses and eggs, then add the dray ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a couple of baking sheets. Pinch off balls of cooky dough about the size of a walnut, dip the bottom in sugar, arrange on greased baking sheet, and bake at 350°F for 10 – 12 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
These are best made with the real old-fashioned blackstrap molasses and lard, but shortening works fine instead of lard (better for your heart, too) and there’s not a thing wrong with just using the regular molasses, Crosby’s or whatever your preferred grocery-store brand might be.
If you don’t feel like making the whole 4 dozen cookies at one time, put the rest of the dough in the refrigerator in a covered bowl until you’re ready to bake it up. It’ll safely keep for a week or more in the refrigerator.
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Judy, thanks so much for giving such specific and useful feedback! So glad you enjoyed the taste and softeness of these cookies – they are definitely one of our family favourites…
The original recipe came to me from an elderly neighbour, as just a list of ingredients! I try to be as clear as possible in the instructions for recipes, but it’s true that we all read things a bit differently and so it’s extra helpful to have someone point out a gap – and no, I don’t flatten the balls of dough, so yes- that coul very well have made the difference with that first batch.
Hi Domestika
I just tried your recipe for Lumberjacks Soft Molasses Cookies and I have a suggestion to make regarding your instructions.
You write:
“Pinch off balls of cooky dough about the size of a walnut, dip the bottom in sugar,”
but its not clear if the balls should be flattened or not.
I baked 2 sheets of the walnut size balls, flattened slightly with a fork but no sugar on the bottoms – and the bottoms turned completely black after 10 minutes! My fault, I should have stood by and watched them bake. I salvaged the tops by slicing off with a knife as they do taste SO good!
SO the next two sheets I decided to divide the dough in 2 and roll into a sausage and slice into 12 slices. Then on the cookie sheet I “rounded them out.
These were the perfect size! But they did bake longer, I watched them, maybe about 14-15 minutes. The diameter of the slices was about 1.5 inches and they spread a bit.
I hope this helps others, or perhaps it applies only to my unique situation.
They were just what I was hoping for though in taste and softness.
Thanks!