Grandma Krueger’s Molasses Christmas Cookies

Name: Grandma Krueger's Molasses Christmas Cookies
Prep time: 1 h
Cook time: 8 min
Total time: 1 h 8 min
Ingredients: 1 1/2 C sugar; 1 C melted lard; 1 whole egg, lightly beaten; 1 1/2 C molasses; 3 Tbs half & half; 2 tsp baking soda (heaping); 1/3 tsp iodized salt; 3/4 tsp anise oil; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 1 tsp ground ginger; 6+ C all purpose flour; 6 egg whites; 7 1/2 cups powdered sugar (2lb bag); 3 Tbs light corn syrup; Assorted food coloring (recommend paste food coloring not liquid)

by Ingrid Nagy

Grandma Krueger’s Molasses Christmas Cookies

Quantity

100

Prep time

hour

Cooking time

minutes

Total time

hour

minutes

There’s nothing better at Christmas time than Grandma’s cookies. Follow along to learn how to make Grandma Krueger’s Molasses Christmas Cookies.

Cookie Ingredients

1 1/2 C sugar
1 C melted lard
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 C molasses
3 Tbs half & half
2 tsp baking soda (heaping)
1/3 tsp iodized salt
3/4 tsp anise oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
6+ C all purpose flour
Frosting ingredients
6 egg whites
7 1/2 cups powdered sugar (2lb bag)
3 Tbs light corn syrup
Assorted food coloring (recommend paste food coloring not liquid)

Directions

Mix sugar & melted lard in a stand mixer with the paddle attacment (or hand mixer) until blended; mix in egg; mix in molasses then 1/2 & 1/2. Add baking soda to approx 1/4 cup hot water and mix into batter (it may bubble a bit for you). Add salt, anise oil, cinnamon & ginger to batter and mix to combine. Slowly add in the flour, mixing to incorporate between additions.
As you near the 6 cup measure, the dough will be stiff and you may need to knead the rest of the flour in by hand. Put flour on a clean surface and knead flour in. The dough will be smooth and not sticky.
Chill the dough in a bowl covered with plastic wrap in the refrigerator for at least two hours or over night. It rolls better when it is well-chilled.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Roll the chilled dough on a floured surface with a roller until it is approx 1/8 thick (any thicker than 1/8 inch and the cookies tend to be doughy instead of hard). Cut out with cookie cutters of your choice and place on a cookie sheet, allowing 1″ between cookies. Save your dough scraps and re-roll them into more cookies.
Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 7-10 minutes. The cookies will be brown, but they shouldn’t get dark around the edges. You want them fully baked, otherwise they bend.
Frosting Instructions:
Beat egg whites in a stand mixer with wire whip attachment until they hold a soft peak. Add sugar gradually & beat until sugar is dissolved and stands in peaks. Add syrup & beat 1 minute more.
To color frosting, separate frosting into smaller bowls in quantities of about 1 cup each – add food coloring in small increments and mix; add more coloring to get to the desired color. Spoon frosting into a piping bag afixed with a number 1 or 2 tip. Decorate the cookies and top with colored sugars, making sure to tap off the excess sugar as you decorate. The frosting will harden as it dries, but takes about 1 hour to harden fully.
These are great dipping cookies and are great with coffee or milk!

Notes

This recipe has been in my mom’s family since she was a little girl and it has been a tradition to decorate cookies every Christmas season. We’ve been known to decorate over 300 cookies each year and give them as gifts to friends and neighbors. I do hope my children will carry on the tradition with their families! With Love, Ingrid Nagy (owner)