Molasses Crackles
Jen Lacasse, Calais, Maine
"The Cat's Pajamas"

A delicious ginger snap-like cookie; dough must chill before baking.

1 ½ cups melted butter (3 sticks)
2 cups white sugar
½ cup molasses
2 beaten eggs
4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
4 cups flour

Melt butter in a large microwave-safe bowl.  Add sugar and molasses and stir.  Let it cool slightly.  Then add the beaten eggs, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg, stirring after each addition.  Add flour in one cup increments, stirring after each one.  The dough will be quite stiff.

 Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. (Overnight is fine too.)

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Roll the chilled dough into walnut-sized balls.  Put some sugar in a small bowl and roll the balls in it.  Place them on a greased cookie sheet (12 to a standard sheet).  Press them down just a little so they won’t roll off when you carry them to the oven.

Bake for 10-12 minutes.  They’ll flatten out, all by themselves.  Let them cool for 2 minutes on the cookie sheet and then move them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Molasses cookies freeze well.  Roll them up in foil, put them in a freezer bag and they’ll keep for 3 months or more.  This makes about 60 cookies.