Recently, I had a customer come into the shop where I work telling me about the most delicious molasses ginger cookies he had. He purchased them at a stall at the Madison Square Park Holiday Market in Manhattan. I remembered that in my recipe box I had a such a recipe from my late mother-in-law and I told him I would dig it out and make a batch.
​For the recipe you’ll need flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, ground cloves, salt, butter, brown sugar, eggs and molasses. This recipe has a yield of 50 large cookies, so for the first time baking, I made half a recipe.  As this recipe is quite old, it called for margarine, which I substituted with unsalted butter. Dark brown sugar has more molasses (6.5%) versus light brown (3.5%) and, therefore, a more intense flavor that some may consider as similar to caramel or toffee. As this recipe called for one pound of brown sugar, I used my digital kitchen scale to weigh out the correct amount.  I also used my KitchenAid hand mixer to whip up the dough. Once done, it was time to scoop out the cookies.

Using the convection setting on my oven, I baked the cookies for just about 15 minutes, rotating and switching shelves half way through. After cooling, I gave one a try. A delicious, not to sweet cookie, that had crisp edges with a chewy middle.

So if you have time before Thanksgiving and have all the ingredients on hand, perhaps a batch of cookies for your intimate gathering would be most appreciated.
​Molasses Ginger Cookies
From the Kitchen of Nancy R. Walsifer
 
Yield: 50 large cookies
Preheat oven to 350°
 
Sift together
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 teaspoons ginger
1 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
 
 
Cream together till fluffy
1-1/2 cups margarine (I used unsalted butter)
1-pound brown sugar
 
Add
2 eggs, one at a time
1/2 cup molasses
 
Stir in dry ingredients. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheets, 2-inches apart. Bake 10-15 minutes.