The weather this morning was conducive to baking. Horrid and cold, with snow. Mother called a rally, and announced that we would be baking two kinds of cookies, buns, and a pan of bars. Mum tackled the bars, Kristina the chocolate-chip cookies (with minimal assistance) and I took on the buns and the Molasses Crinkles.
Molasses Crinkles are my family’s top-favorite cookie. Nicely sweet, even with the sugar coating, and a wee-bit chewy, they’re the sort of cookie you can eat a lot of without feeling sick. The trick, you know, is to take them out when the edges are set, but the inside is soft. I have never tried freezing the cookies, but the dough freezes beautifully.
One of the many good recipes from The Mennonite Community Cookbook. This is the doubled version. My comments are in parenthesis.
Molasses Crinkles
1 1/2 cups shortening
2 cups brown sugar (may reduce by 1/4 cup)
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
1 tsp salt
4 tsp soda
2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cloves
4 1/2 cups flour
Cream shortening and sugar together. Add egg and molasses and beat until well blended. Sift flour. Measure and add salt, soda, and spices, Sift again. Add sifted dry ingredients to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly. Chill dough in refrigerator. (Or freezer, or do what I did today, and stick the bowl out in the snow)
Shape the chilled dough in balls 1 inch in diameter. Roll balls in granulated sugar
and place 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. (If the dough gets sticky, stick it back in the freezer or in the snow.)
Bake at 350 F for 12 to 14 minutes. Makes about 4 dozen. 
