The novel, Sunflower Sisters takes place during the American Civil War. There is one scene where the Woolsey sisters give molasses cookies to the soldiers.

This recipe for molasses cookies is adapted from a Menonite Cookbook from the 1860’s. The original called for lard instead of butter.

I cut the recipe in half, but found that I needed to add another 1/2 cup of flour. The dough is very sticky. The cookies are soft and chewy, full of ginger and other spices. My cookies looked very different from the ones on the website where I got the recipe.

If you want to “modernize” these cookies, I highly recommend spreading some cookie butter between two of them. Yum!!

Print Recipe

Civil War Molasses Cookies

Course

Cookies, Dessert

Cuisine

American

Keyword

Dessert

Servings

cookies

Ingredients

• 1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar
• 1 cup c. butter
• 1 1/2 cups molasses
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp ginger
• 1 tsp nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 5 to 6 cups flour

Course Cookies, Dessert Cuisine American Keyword Dessert Servings cookies Ingredients 1 cup firmly-packed brown sugar 1 cup c. butter 1 1/2 cups molasses 2 eggs 2 teaspoons baking soda 1/2 tsp salt 2 tsp ginger 1 tsp nutmeg 1 tsp cinnamon 1/2 cup hot water 5 to 6 cups flour

Instructions

1. Cream together brown sugar, butter, and sorghum. Add eggs, beat until well blended.
2. Stir baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg into hot water; stir into creamed mixture, blending thoroughly.
3. Add flour and mix well. Drop dough from a teaspoon onto an ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle each cookie with a pinch of sugar.
4. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes in pans, then remove to wire rack to finish cooling.