Are these chocolate chip cookies?

No, no they are not just chocolate chip cookies, though I get asked that a lot. They're molasses chocolate chip cookies, known in my family as Lassie Cookies, and they have been present on the table at every family get-together since as long as I can remember.

I’ve taken them to school for class room parties, sold them at fundraising bake sales, eaten them at almost every major holiday, and sometimes just made them as a pick-me-up on a down day. Since the only time I really watch sports is when visiting with family, this nostalgic comfort treat fits all the roles of game day junk food, holiday treats and a family-event staple. The recipe is fairly simple as well, doesn’t take long to bake, and makes a fair number of 1 to 1 1/2 inch cookies.

Ingredients (makes 3 to 3 1/2 dozen):

1 1/2 cups Crisco

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2/3 cups molasses

5 cups flour

3 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

12 oz chocolate bits (milk chocolate)

Directions:

1. Cream Crisco and sugar together until fluffy.

2. Beat in eggs and molasses.

3. Mix in spices and flour. The dough will be very thick and not sticky at all. If the dough sticks to your fingers, add more flour until it is no longer tacky to touch.

4. Add chocolate bits and kneed into dough.

5. Roll into balls approximately 1 inch in diameter and place on ungreased cookie sheets.

6. Bake at 350 degrees F for 9-10 minutes.

The cookies don’t rise very much during baking, the round ball of dough should flatten out somewhat into a thick circular cookie about an inch to and inch and a half in diameter. They’re done when their tops start to turn a light golden brown. After being removed from the oven, they should be immediately removed from the trays (I recommend using a spatula, as they will be very hot and soft) and placed on the counter or a rack to cool. If they’re left of the hot trays, they will actually continue to bake and will end up getting very hard. While they’ll still taste the same if they get too hard, you’ll miss out on the wonderful mouth feel of perfectly soft cookies.

When done right, this cookies come out soft and sweet. The molasses gives them a richness of flavor that I’ve never found with regular chocolate chip cookies. Lassie cookies have always been a favorite treat on both sides of my family, with adults and kids alike thoroughly enjoying them.

Molasses is often considered a very old-fashioned ingredient. It’s what was commonly used to sweeten baked good before processed sugar was as cheap and readily available as it is today. The thick, deep brown syrup has a strong and very distinctive smell, and an even more potent taste. It’s one of those things where for most people, more is not always better, as many people find the taste of raw molasses to be unpleasant and overpowering. However, when mixed into cookies or other deserts in the right amount, it can provide a unique sweet flavoring.

As a kid, when it came to molasses I was weird for liking its unusual taste, and I’m still that way. I love the taste of raw molasses, and whenever we would make these cookies, I was always eagerly awaiting being handed the emptied jar of molasses so I could lick it clean. To this day, the taste of molasses brings back lots of nostalgic memories of my childhood, and I still can’t resist a spoonful of molasses.

These cookies are family, comfort and nostalgia all rolled into one for me, and I would love to be able to share some of that with others. I hope you’re able to make these delicious cookies a part of your parties, game days and special moments, and that you get as much enjoyment out of them as I do.