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
Soft Bacon Molasses cookie recipe
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Chilling: 4 hours
Total Time: 25 minutes
Servings:28 cookies
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: bacon molasses cookies, recipes using bacon fat
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup bacon fat (at cool room temperature)
- 1/4 c . butter (at cool room temperature)
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for rolling the cookies in)
- 1/4 c . brown sugar (packed)
- 1/4 cup molasses (not blackstrap)
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp . vanilla
- 2 c . all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 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 1/4 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 values are estimates.
Nutrition Information
Serving: 1servingCalories: 125kcal (6%)Carbohydrates: 16g (5%)Protein: 1g (2%)Fat: 6g (9%)Saturated Fat: 2g (10%)Cholesterol: 14mg (5%)Sodium: 186mg (8%)Potassium: 60mg (2%)Sugar: 9g (10%)Vitamin A: 60IU (1%)Calcium: 11mg (1%)Iron: 0.6mg (3%)
Adapted from Epicurious.com
Amanda T says
Oh my goodness… These are naughty delicious!
Kate says
Thank you so much! I’m so glad that you liked the cookies! =) Thanks for commenting!
Lisa says
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 says
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 says
Hey, very creative, I have never seen this before.
Kate says
Thank you! =)