Easy Does It Molasses Cookies

Molasses cookies that practically make themselves. Mix the dry ingredients, cut in shortening, add molasses and an egg, roll the dough into a log, and chill. When you’re ready to bake, just slice and go.

The slice-and-bake format is what makes these so easy. No rolling pin, no cookie cutters, no scooping. A chilled dough log slices cleanly into thin rounds that bake up crisp and snappy in under 10 minutes.

Ginger and molasses are the classic pairing here. The deep, bittersweet flavor of molasses combined with warm ginger and brown sugar creates a cookie that tastes like the holidays but takes a fraction of the effort of gingerbread.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice the cookies as thin as you can manage, about ⅛ inch. Thin slices bake crisp; thick ones stay chewy in the middle (not necessarily bad, just different).
• Keep the dough log wrapped tightly in plastic while it chills. Exposed dough dries out on the surface and cracks when you slice it.
• Use a sharp knife and rotate the log a quarter turn after every few slices. This prevents the bottom from flattening and keeps the cookies round.
• Watch them closely at the 8-minute mark. These go from done to burnt fast because they’re so thin.

Variations

• Roll the outside of the chilled dough log in granulated sugar before slicing for a sparkly, crunchy edge on every cookie.
• Add a teaspoon of cinnamon and a pinch of cloves to the dry ingredients for a more complex spice cookie.
• Sandwich two cooled cookies together with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting or lemon icing.