Favorite Joe Froggers

Joe Froggers are a piece of American food history. The original cookies came from Marblehead, Massachusetts in the late 1700s, baked by an African-American man named Black Joe (Joseph Brown) and his wife Lucretia at their tavern. The cookies were sized to match the lily pads at the nearby pond ("frogs"), traveled well on whaling ships thanks to molasses and rum, and stayed soft for weeks.

The recipe leans hard on molasses for its signature dark color and chewy density. Four classic warming spices (ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice) layer the flavor; dark rum brings depth and acts as a preservative the way it would have on those long sea voyages.

A full overnight chill is what makes these cookies what they are. The dough needs to firm up so it can be rolled and cut without tearing, and the long rest lets the molasses and spices marry. Cutting corners on chill time means soft, sticky dough and tough cookies.

Use a 4-inch cutter (or, traditionally, a clean coffee can lid). These are meant to be giant, palm-sized cookies. Do not attempt smaller; the texture relies on the size for proper bake.

Watch the oven carefully. Molasses cookies go from done to scorched in about 30 seconds. Pull them when the edges are set but centers still look slightly soft.

Pro Tips

• Use unsulphured molasses; blackstrap is too bitter and intense for cookies.
• Roll dough between sheets of parchment to avoid working in too much extra flour.
• Let cookies cool a few minutes on the sheet before transferring to keep them intact.
• Stored airtight with a slice of bread, they stay soft for over a week.
• Pair with hot apple cider for the proper New England effect.

Variations

• Sub bourbon or brandy for the rum.
• Add 1 teaspoon ground cardamom for an unconventional aromatic note.
• Brush warm cookies with rum glaze (powdered sugar plus rum) for a frosted finish.