Sue Lowell Gallion

Molasses Crinkles . . . and more

I just had the privilege of being interviewed as a New Voice on Cynthia Leitich Smith’s invaluable blog, Cynsations. What a thrill! Here’s the link to the article: http://cynthialeitichsmith.blogspot.com/2017/02/new-voices-sue-lowell-gallion-on-pug.html

One of the questions was about what I enjoy doing in my free time. You can often find me in the neighborhood or nearby trails walking my dog, Tucker, a 7-year-old black lab mix who found us at Wayside Waifs animal shelter when he was just four months old.  Tucker is grateful to finally have his picture shown after all the focus on pugs and pigs in our world ever since PUG MEETS PIG came out in September 2016.

I also mentioned baking therapy, which is a family tradition attributable to my mother’s Norwegian-German heritage. Comfort food means a homemade cookie at my house. And if you like the smells of ginger, cinnamon, and molasses, and want some cookie fame, here’s my mom’s Molasses Crinkle cookie recipe.

Molasses Crinkles are easy enough for kids to make with a bit of help. You can cut this recipe in half if you don’t want to make as many, but why would you do that? One of my grandmother’s cookie recipes calls for nine cups of flour. Now that’s a big batch of cookies!

Ruth’s Molasses Crinkles

1 1/2 cup Crisco

2 cups brown sugar

2 eggs, room temperature

1/2 cup molasses

1/2 tsp. salt

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cloves

2 tsp. cinnamon (I use Vietnamese cinnamon)

2 tsp. ginger

2 tsp. grated orange rind (or more, I grate the rind of one large orange.)

White sugar

Combine Crisco shortening and brown sugar in large mixing bowl, mix on medium until creamy. Add eggs one at a time. Add molasses and blend. Combine flour and spices in a separate bowl, add to the molasses mixture and blend. Add grated orange rind and blend.

With your hands, roll a small ball (my mom would say the size of a black walnut.) Roll the dough balls in a small bowl of white sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet. Take a drinking glass, butter the bottom of it, and dip it in flour. Press each dough ball slightly to flatten it. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 375 degrees.

Store in tightly closed container. Put a slice of apple or part of a piece of bread in the container to keep cookies chewy. They freeze well.  Serve with a cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk and a good book.