Stone Jar Molasses Cookies
These old fashioned cookies are better than you remember.
Everyone has their favorite cookies. For many people that’s chocolate chip, but there is something really special about a thin spice cookie, especially with a thin glaze on top. These stone jar cookies get their name from the fact that they use to fill stoneware ceramic cookie jars. You may gave even had cookies like these at Grandma’s house once upon a time. Now you can make them yourself and fill up your own cookie jar with these tasty cookies.
To make this recipe you’ll have to heat the molasses up in a saucepan and then add ingredients to the hot molasses. This ingredient gives a wonderful flavor that was once a common part of many desserts back in the old days. The downside to using molasses is that it is so thick and rich that it doesn’t blend well unless it is heated up.
The other trick to this recipe is getting the perfect thin cookie by chilling the dough for at least two hours once all the ingredients have been combined. This brings the temperature back down. Otherwise the dough would be too gooey to work with.
Once the dough is properly chilled then it can be rolled out. You want this dough only about 1/16″ thick. Thicker spice cookies can be very dense and hard to chew and this is one way in which these cookies far surpass many other spice cookie recipes.
You can use a cookie cutter or for a rustic look shape these cookies by hand. However, don’t overwork the dough and make sure the cookies are truly thin. The trick is the get the thickness just right. Once the prep work is done these cookies only need about 5-7 minutes in a 350˚ oven.
After these cookies are cooled the icing is a simple glaze of powered sugar and water mixed together. This thin icing doesn’t overpower the molasses, ginger, and vanilla of these cookies. Try these stone jar molasses cookies and see if they aren’t some of the best spice cookies you’ve ever had.
Stone Jar Molasses Cookies
Yield(s): Makes 6 dozen 2 1/2 cookies
3h prep time
7m cook time
2h 20m inactive
Allergens: Gluten
Diet: Vegetarian
For the cookies
- 1 cup molasses
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for flouring
- 1 3/4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
For the icing
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons water
Preparation
- In a large saucepan bring molasses to a boil and remove from heat. Add baking soda and shortening and stir well.
- Sift together flour and other dry ingredients into molasses and combine. Add vanilla and stir again.
- Place dough in a large bowl. Chill dough for 2+ hours or overnight.
- When ready to bake preheat oven to 350˚. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. Dough should be about 1/16 of an inch or so thick. Use a 2” (or smaller) cookie cutter to cut into shapes.
- Place cookies on silpat sheet or greased cookie sheet. Bake for 5-7 minutes, but do not overbake. Allow cookies to cool completely.
- For icing whisk together powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of water until runny consistency is reached. Add more water if needed. Use fork to drizzle icing over cookies and allow to set completely before transferring to cookie jar.
Recipe adapted from The Mercury News.