Moravian Molasses Cookies Recipes

Steps:

• Mix molasses, shortening and brown sugar in a large bowl. Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and spices. Cover and refrigerate about 4 hours or until firm.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Roll half of the dough at a time to 1/8 inch thickness or paper-thin on a floured cloth-covered surface. Cut into 3 inch rounds with floured cutter.
• Place about 1/2 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 1/8 inch thick cookies about 8 minutes; paper-thin cookies about 5 minutes or until light brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Cool completely.
• To Make Frosting: Mix 1 cup confectioners' sugar, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla, and 1-2 tablespoons half-and-half until of spreading consistency. Spread frosting on cooled cookies.

Steps:

• 1. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Add molasses and egg yolk and beat well until combine.
• 2. In another bowl combine the flour and all remaining ingredients,blend well and add to the molasses mixture in small amounts at a time. Dough will be loose and crumbly. Gently press dough to make a soft mound then take 1/3 of the dough and place on a piece of parchment paper;pat into a rectangle. Place another piece of paper on top and roll as thin as possible (1/16-inch thick). Repeat with remaining dough.
• 3. Gently peel back top paper,replace paper and freeze for 30 minutes. Remove from freezer remove top paper and cut cookies with a 2-inch round or other cookie cutter. Place cookie on a clean piece of parchment paper on cookie sheet and freeze for 15 minutes.
• 4. Heat oven to 325^. Remove cookies from freezer ; sprinkle tops with cinnamon/sugar if desired. Bake for 10 minutes. Yes that is the correct time. But check on them as ovens bake differently. They should be brown but not to dark- this depends on if you used light or dark molasses and brown sugar. If you do not cinnamon/sugar the tops. You can frost with a glaze when cooled.
• 5. Glaze: 1 c. sifted powdered sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon vanilla or almond flavoring(extract) 1 1/2 Tablespoons water as needed (milk will make the frosting too soft Blend sugar,salt and flavoring, add water to desired spreading consistency.

Steps:

• Melt the margarine and lard together and set aside to cool to lukewarm.
• Put the molasses in a very large and heavy smooth-bottomed pot. Stir in the cloves, cinnamon, ginger, and the brown sugar. Turn to medium-high and start stir with a wooden spoon until the mixture is warm, the sugar has dissolved, and all the spices are incorporated, 5 to 10 minutes. Do NOT bring it to a boil.
• Put the salt and soda in a cup or small bowl and mix it with about 3 tablespoons flour in a cup. Add that to the molasses mixture. Stir until completely dissolved, mashing any particles of soda against the side of the pot so that every bit is incorporated.
• Pour in the cooled margarine and lard, and beat with a wooden spoon until completely blended. Allow the whole mixture to cool before adding the flour, or the dough will absorb more flour. Add about one-third of the flour mixture and stir well with a wooden spoon. Add the second third of flour and continue to mix.
• Take the remaining third of flour and sprinkle a work surface thickly with some of it. Scrape all the dough out onto the floured surface, and begin to knead, flouring your hands frequently while you incorporate the remaining flour.
• When the dough has become stiff and firm and far less sticky, roll it into a long tube and cut it into eight pieces, which will weigh roughly one pound each. Shape each ball into a disk, slapping the surface with your hands to smooth it (you'll see the lard rise to the surface, making each disk kind of shiny).
• Put four disks of dough in each of two large plastic bags and seal. Allow to sit overnight on the countertop. The dough will swell some and the spice flavors will mellow and blend.
• When you're ready to bake, preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Cover a pastry or rolling board (or a square piece of plywood) with bleached muslin that's been washed several times, tacking it tightly around the edges. Flour the muslin and rub the flour into the cloth to coat it deeply. Roll the cookies as thin as possible, 1/16 to 1/32 of an inch. Cut with any cookie cutter you like, using tiny cutters such as hearts or circles to cut out little cookies in the spaces between larger cookies. (You can also gather the scraps and reroll, but these cookies won't be as tender.)
• Lift the cookies onto an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 10 minutes. Watch them, and don't let the cookies brown around the edges. Allow to cool on the pan for several minutes before lifting them onto cooling racks. As soon as they're completely cool, pack and store in an airtight container. If you're using cookie tins, seal the lid of the tin with masking tape. Any air creeping in will cause the cookies to soften.

Steps:

• Make cookies:
• Pulse shortening, brown sugar, and molasses in a food processor until smooth. Meanwhile, whisk together flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Add to processor and blend just until combined.
• Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead briefly, allowing dough to absorb a little more flour if sticky. Divide dough in half and form each half into a 3-inch square. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill at least 1 day.
• Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Roll out 1 piece of dough on a floured pastry cloth using floured sleeve-covered rolling pin until very thin (less than 1/16 inch thick), about a 15-inch square. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and, using offset spatula to transfer, arrange about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets.
• Bake cookies, 1 sheet at a time, 10 minutes. Let stand 1 minute on sheet, then loosen with spatula and transfer on parchment to a rack to crisp, about 10 minutes. If first batch isn't crisp, bake 1 minute more (on baking sheet), then bake remaining batches 10 to 11 minutes. Cool cookies completely on rack.
• Repeat with remaining dough (cool baking sheets and line with fresh parchment). Reroll scraps once for extra cookies if desired.
• Make icing:
• Beat together icing ingredients in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until just combined, about 1 minute. Increase speed to high and beat until icing holds soft peaks, about 3 minutes more. If desired, divide icing and add food coloring.
• Fill pastry bags with icing and pipe decoratively on cookies, then let set, about 1 hour.

Steps:

• Sift flour, cinnamon, and ginger together in a large bowl. Add sugar and mix well. Work lard and butter into the flour mixture using a pastry blender.
• Combine vinegar and baking soda in a small bowl; mix to dissolve. Add mixture to the flour mixture in the bowl. Add molasses and mix thoroughly. Place dough in the refrigerator until chilled, about 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Roll dough out very thin on a floured surface. Cut into shapes using fancy cookie cutters.
• Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned, about 10 minutes.