What’s Cooking? with Melinda Pilon

Where authors, friends and fellow bloggers share their favorite receipes!

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Melinda Pinon grew up on the back of a horse hills of Colorado. A jack of all trades she is still trying to figure out what she wants to be when she grows up; cowgirl is high on her list.

Married to a Naval officer, she and her husband have moved cross county A LOT the last couple of years. Life has them in Texas right now; which has really kicked those cowgirl fantasies into high gear. When not day dreaming about riding the range she is busy taking care of here extremely rambunctious 19 month old, Mateo.

She loves to read, cook, and is one crafty son of a gun. While the cowgirl gig is just a dream for now she still swings her butt up in the saddle every chances she gets.

I'm sure y'all have heard the saying "slower than molasses in *insert cold month of your choice here*". Well it's been pretty dang cold down here in Texas. We were recently hit with an ice storm. On the surface everything looked all sparkly and white like any other snow storm. But looks can be deceiving. One misstep onto that sparkly white surface and you were sure to land on your backside. Four inches of ice covered the street, grass, sidewalks, and driveways. Texans aren't equipped to handle snow let alone ice. It crippled the city and had us all moving slower than molasses in December.

When we weren't outside sledding and snowboarding down our hill , or ice skating in our cul-de-sac, we headed inside for holiday baking. In honor of what some were calling Icemageddon I decided to whip up a batch of my grandma's molasses crisp cookies. Traditionally a Christmas cookie, with my family living in Colorado and grandma living in Wisconsin, I only got these when visiting during summer vacation. I have to admit that the spiciness of these cookies taste better when there is a nip in the air.

Gladys Felland's Molasses Crisp Cookies

1 1/2 Cups butter, melted and cooled

2 Cups granulated sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 Cup molasses

4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground ginger

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp salt

4 Cups flour

additional granulated or turbinado sugar for rolling

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a medium bowl sift together dry ingredients.

In a large bowl mix together the butter, sugar, eggs and molasses.

Add in dry ingredients and combine thoroughly. Cookie dough will be very thick.

Chill dough in the refrigerator 2-3 hours until stiff enough to roll.

Roll dough into balls roughly the size of a ping pong ball.

Rough dough ball in the granulated or turbinado sugar.*

Place dough balls about 3 inchs apart on a parchment lined baking sheet.


Using a flat bottomed glass or dish, flatten each ball until about a half inch thick.

Bake at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.

Cookies will spread while baking. While they come out of the oven slightly puffed up and soft, they will flatten out and crisp up when cool.

*I roll my cookies in the turbinato sugar because I like the bigger crystals. My grandma and mom use the granulated. The granulated will give the cookies a fine shimmer.