Granny’s Spice Cookies

The second book is at 25,000 words. Eight interviews completed, fourteen to go. The chapters are emerging — each one a portrait, each one a kitchen, each one a woman who survived through food. Chapter One: Mrs. Park (Korean immigrant, Koreatown) Chapter Two: Angelica (Mexican-American, first generation) Chapter Three: Michelle (Gold Star wife, pancakes at 2 AM) Chapter Four: Fatima (Somali-American, $50/week budget) The remaining chapters will come from more interviews — planned for spring, when I'll travel to visit kitchens: a farm wife in Iowa, a single mother in Detroit, a Vietnamese grandmother in Houston, a Navajo woman on the reservation, a military wife in Germany. The book is bigger than anything I've written. Bigger than me. Bigger than Mom's kitchen. It's the kitchen of the world, told through women who feed families against every odds imaginable. Sarah reads each chapter and says, 'Bigger. Go bigger. Don't hold back.' I'm not holding back. I'm writing the hardest stories I've ever written. Michelle's chapter made me weep at the keyboard. Fatima's chapter made me rethink everything I know about budget cooking. Mrs. Park's chapter made me call Soo-Jin and say, 'Your mother is a hero.' Soo-Jin: 'I know. She's also dramatic. But yes. A hero.' Caleb and Hazel are a comedy of contrasts. Caleb is four and LOUD — narrating everything, asking questions, demanding participation in every activity. Hazel is one and QUIET — observing, absorbing, occasionally saying 'MO' when she wants more of something. They play together now — Caleb builds towers, Hazel knocks them down, Caleb rebuilds, Hazel knocks again. The cycle of creation and destruction, played out on the living room floor every afternoon. Made Mom's beef barley soup tonight. The September soup in February, because comfort food follows no calendar. Caleb ate a full bowl and said, 'This is Grandma's.' And it is. It'll always be Grandma's. Twenty-five thousand words. Eight chapters. Fourteen interviews to go. The book of every Donna. Coming together, one kitchen at a time.

Caleb’s words at dinner — “This is Grandma’s” — stayed with me long after the bowls were cleared. The whole book I’m writing is really about that: the recipes that stop being ours the moment someone else claims them with love. These spice cookies are Mom’s in exactly the same way — the cinnamon, the clove, the soft chew in the center — and no matter how many times I make them, Caleb will call them Grandma’s too. That feels exactly right.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 12 min | Total Time: 27 min | Servings: 36 cookies

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus 1/4 cup for rolling
1/4 cup unsulfured molasses
1 large egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Preheat oven. Heat oven to 375°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
Whisk dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and allspice until evenly combined.
Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter and 1 cup of sugar together with a hand mixer on medium speed for 2–3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
Add wet ingredients. Beat in the molasses, egg, and vanilla extract until fully incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Combine. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon or fold with a spatula until a soft dough forms. Do not overmix.
Shape cookies. Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar in a small shallow bowl. Scoop dough into 1-inch balls and roll each ball in sugar to coat, then place 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
Bake. Bake one sheet at a time for 10–12 minutes, until the tops are crackled and the edges are just set. The centers will look slightly underdone — that’s correct.
Cool. Let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. They firm up as they cool and develop that soft, chewy center Granny always promised.

Nutrition (per serving)

Granny’s Spice Cookies — Because Some Recipes Will Always Belong to Grandma