Peppermint Molasses Cookies — My Grandmother’s December 1979 Recipe

Late November rolling into December. Cody is on day three hundred and twenty-six of his sentence. The Christmas planning has started. The first Christmas-cake catering job from the harvest party in October has come through — a kid named Jackson is turning seven on December ninth and his mom called Mama on Tuesday to ask if I would do a dinosaur cake for the party. The reimbursement is $50 and the mom said she would tip $30 on top, $80 total. I said yes. The dinosaur cake is going on the schedule for the first weekend of December.

The savings envelope is going to be at $400 by the end of December if I keep working the way I have been working. The math: $200 a week from the Sonic in winter, $100 a month from the small Saturday catering jobs, $40 a month into the savings envelope, $40 to Mama for the household, and the rest in the wallet. I am sixteen and I have a savings envelope I would not have believed two years ago.

And the recipe Sunday was peppermint molasses cookies. Grandma Carol’s recipe box has the recipe dated December 1979 in pencil at the top of an index card I had not noticed until this week. The card has the molasses cookie dough recipe on one side and a small note about the peppermint glaze on the other side, with a small drawing of a candy cane in the corner. I made them Sunday because the smell of warm spices and peppermint together is one I had not experienced before and have decided is going to live in this kitchen now.

The math: a half cup of butter softened, a cup of sugar, an egg, a quarter cup of molasses $0.40 worth from the bottle, two and a quarter cups of flour, two teaspoons of baking soda, a teaspoon of cinnamon, a teaspoon of ginger, a half teaspoon of cloves, a half teaspoon of salt, sugar for rolling. The glaze: a cup of powdered sugar, a quarter teaspoon of peppermint extract $0.30 worth (from a small bottle I bought specifically), two tablespoons of milk. Total: about $4.20 for thirty-six cookies.

The technique is the chill-and-roll. You cream the butter and sugar with a fork. You whisk in the egg and molasses. You stir in the dry ingredients. You chill the dough in the fridge for thirty minutes (the chilling is the trick — warm molasses dough spreads too much in the oven; chilled dough holds its shape).

You roll the dough into one-inch balls. You roll each ball in granulated sugar. You arrange on parchment-lined sheet pans with two inches between each. You bake at 350 for ten minutes — until the tops are crackled but the centers still look slightly underdone. Cool on the sheet for two minutes, transfer to a rack.

The peppermint glaze gets whisked in a small bowl and drizzled over the cooled cookies with a fork in thin lines. The glaze sets to a glossy white pattern across the dark molasses-brown of the cookie.

The kitchen smells, when these are baking, like warmth and Christmas at the same time. The peppermint is the surprise. The molasses is the comfort. The two together are the kind of cookie I had not had before and that I am keeping in the December rotation forever.

Mama said, when she ate one Sunday night, oh, baby, this is your grandmother. Mama did not cry. The recipes have started arriving from the box and Mama is, finally, letting them in without crying.

The recipe is below. The trick is the chill-the-dough step — do not skip it. The peppermint glaze is the upgrade. Make these for the first weekend of December.

Old-Fashioned Stovetop Fudge

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 30 minutes (plus 2 hours setting time) | Servings: 24 pieces

Ingredients

• 2 cups granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup whole milk
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus extra for greasing the pan
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Instructions

1. Prepare the pan. Line an 8x8-inch baking pan with parchment paper and grease it lightly with butter. Set aside.
2. Combine the dry ingredients. In a medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cocoa powder, and salt until no lumps remain.
3. Add the milk. Pour in the milk and stir to combine. Place the saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to boil.
4. Cook to soft-ball stage. Once boiling, stop stirring. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and let the mixture cook undisturbed until it reaches exactly 238°F (soft-ball stage). Do not stir during this time—just let it bubble. This takes about 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Add butter and vanilla. Remove the pan from the heat. Drop the butter pieces and vanilla extract onto the surface of the hot fudge. Do not stir yet. Let the mixture cool undisturbed until the bottom of the pan feels warm but not hot to the touch, about 110°F, roughly 30 to 45 minutes.
6. Beat the fudge. Using a wooden spoon, beat the fudge vigorously until it thickens, loses its glossy sheen, and starts to hold its shape. This takes about 5 to 10 minutes of steady stirring. You’ll feel it suddenly get heavier—that’s when it’s ready.
7. Pour and set. Quickly pour the fudge into the prepared pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Let it set at room temperature for at least 2 hours, or until firm.
8. Cut and serve. Lift the fudge out of the pan using the parchment paper and cut into 24 squares. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 85 | Protein: 1g | Fat: 2g | Carbs: 17g | Fiber: 0g | Sodium: 10mg