I love vintage recipes! There's something amazing about seeing that slice of life from the past.
This Bacon Molasses Cookie recipe is just such a recipe. This recipe harkens back to a time when everything had a use - including bacon fat.
These cookies put that bacon fat to good use by having it stand in for part of the butter in the recipe. It gives the cookies a more complex flavor.
They don't taste like bacon, but they do have a delicious, smoky note to them. So, if you need one more reason to make some bacon, these cookies are it!

Bacon Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup bacon fat at cool room temperature
- ¼ c . butter at cool room temperature
- ¾ cup granulated sugar plus extra for rolling the cookies in
- ¼ c . brown sugar packed
- ¼ cup molasses not blackstrap
- 1 large egg
- ½ teaspoon . vanilla
- 2 c . all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together bacon fat and butter until well-combined.
- Add sugars and molasses; beat well to combine.
- Add egg and vanilla; mix until well-combined.
- Stir in flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, and cloves just until incorporated.
- Cover, and chill for a 4+ hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 F degrees. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Put the ¼ cup sugar in a shallow bowl. Using a 1.5 tablespoon cookie scoop (medium), roll the dough into balls, drop into the sugar, roll to coat, and place 2 inches apart on the baking sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are set. Let cool on the baking sheets for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Amanda T
Oh my goodness... These are naughty delicious!
Kate
Thank you so much! I'm so glad that you liked the cookies! =) Thanks for commenting!
Lisa
Thank you, one of my fondest memories is my grandmother's molasses cookies. They were hard as a rock but they were always there and she kept them hid so her four grandchildren did not eat them all. One year my father put a fly in my grandmother's saved bacon fat. (this was before air conditioning, when you kept windows open) She had a fit because that was the grease she used to make her cookies. As a child it was great to see my daddy get fussed at. Gramma is long gone and so is her recipe, I am looking forward to trying yours and sharing the cookies with my 89 year old father. Lisa
Kate
I love it! One of the reasons that I like vintage recipes is because of all of the memories that they bring back. Thank you so much for sharing your story! =)
Amy
Hey, very creative, I have never seen this before.
Kate
Thank you! =)