Homemade Molasses Cookies

If I could only pick one cookie recipe to make at Christmastime for the rest of my life, I would choose these Molasses Cookies. The recipe came from a good family friend of ours who was also one of my very first piano teachers. Often when I showed up for a lesson, the smell of baked goods would envelop me and she'd take me into the kitchen where a warm piece of chocolate cake was waiting, or sometimes a mug of cinnamon hot chocolate. Now that is the way to start a piano lesson. Not only did she teach me to love the piano but she also made me feel welcome in her home and happy to be there each week.

These Molasses Cookies are just perfect. They are crispy on the outside but so soft and chewy and melt-in-your-mouth as soon as you take a bite. I love how they really flatten out in the oven, too. There's something about a delicate, thin cookie that is so inviting. And the combination of molasses and spices is so festive and cozy for this time of year. I could eat these every day for breakfast with a cup of hot tea.

This recipe is in our cookbook, Finger Lakes Feast, if you happen to have a copy. But I wanted to share it here too in case you're itching to get out the flour and cookie sheets this weekend but need some inspiration. 

Patsy's Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1/4 cup molasses

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

Powdered sugar (for dusting)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cream together the butter and sugar. Add the egg and molasses. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Gradually add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly. Bake on ungreased cookie sheets for about 7-10 minutes (really depends on your oven) or until just set. Let cool and roll in powdered sugar.