Discovery Box Recipes - Molasses Cookies

                              Marvelous Molasses Cookies

          This was the very first soft-cookie recipe I collected back in the mid-60s. They smell wonderful even before baking, they melt in your mouth, and they never harden up. Yum - the best of gingerbread and ginger snaps in one!

                                              1 cup shortening
                                              1 cup brown sugar
                                              1 egg
                                               ½ tsp salt
                                               ½ cup molasses
                                               ½ cup warm water
                                               1 tsp baking soda
                                               1 tsp cinnamon
                                               ½ tsp ginger
                                               2 ½ cups flour

            Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Baking time 11 minutes.

            In a large bowl, combine shortening, brown sugar, egg, salt and molasses, using an electric mixer and beating until fluffy. Add cinnamon and ginger. In a small bowl or measuring cup, stir the baking soda into the warm water; add water mixture to the molasses mixture alternately with the flour until well blended.

            Drop by tablespoons onto greased cookie sheets. Bake for 11 minutes at 350 degrees. Makes about 4 dozen. Store in a covered container.