K’s Kitchen: Yacht Club’s molasses cookies

By Kathryn Reed

Molasses cookie recipes have not changed much in the last 55 years. And that’s a tasty thing.

The latest batch I whipped up came out of the “Our Favorite Recipes!” cookbook put out by the South Lake Tahoe Yacht Club. The 161-page book was published earlier this year as a way to collate the members’ favorite recipes as well as raise money for the local Boys & Girls Club, CASA and South Lake Tahoe Women’s Center.

Unlike most cookbooks, this one has a celebrity chef entry. This alone is reason to purchase the book. Where else can you find recipes from well-known South Lake Tahoe eateries like Evan’s, Nepheles, Tep’s Villa Roma, and The Cantina?

Photographs representative of yachting on Lake Tahoe are sprinkled throughout the cookbook.

The table of contents proves several full meals can be made with the cookbook. Appetizers, salads-sauces-soups, entrees-casseroles, vegetables, fish-seafood, beverages, desserts-baked goodies, and holiday favorites are the categories.

What was different about the cookie recipe from the Yacht Club is that it says to top them with butter cream frosting. While I’m a huge fan of frosting, I found this combo made the cookies too sweet. Sue, with the sweet tooth, said they were perfect with the frosting. Oliver would skip the frosting too, though, he had no problem licking the beater.

Veronica, my niece and Oliver’s sister sent an email from China Aug. 13 saying, “The frosting held up and they taste delicious! My co-workers and roommates love them as well!” She got a boxful for her birthday.

I compared the Yacht Club recipe to the one Mom gave me years ago as well as to the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. The latter was a wedding gift to my parents – 55 years ago today.

Some of the differences are Mom’s recipe calls for brown sugar; the old cookbook has coffee, twice as much flour and two eggs. With Mom’s recipe, after the cookies are dipped in the sugar they are topped with a drop or two of water to make them Molasses Crinkles. No need to do that if you are using frosting.

Below is the Yacht Club recipe that was submitted by Wendy Oleson. It says, “This recipe won first place at the Santa Clara County Fair and was handed down through our family from Chuck’s grandma.”

Another thing Mom taught me is if there is leftover frosting, put it between graham crackers, freeze and pull out as a treat when you need something sweet. It made for great snacks in my school lunches.

The recipe has high altitude instructions. I didn’t use them. I have never changed my cookie recipes from sea level to the Sierra.

Click here for more info on the Yacht Club cookbook.

Ma’s Molasses Cookies – by Wendy Oleson

1 C sugar

¾ C shortening

¼ C molasses

1 egg

2 C flour

2 tsp soda

1 tsp each ginger and cinnamon

½ tsp cloves

1 T water

Combine sugar and shortening until smooth. Add molasses and beat in egg. In separate bowl combine dry ingredients. Add to sugar mixture. Add water. Mix together and chill two hours. Roll into small balls about 1 inch and roll in sugar. On greased cookie sheet, bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes. When cookies are cool, frost with butter cream frosting. Store in covered container. Makes 4 dozen.

Butter Cream Frosting

1 lb. box powdered sugar

¼ tsp salt

¼ C milk

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 C (2/3 stick) softened butter

Beat all ingredients listed above with electric mixer until smooth and creamy. If too stiff to spread easily, beat in a few drops of milk.

High altitude adjustment (above, 4,500 feet):

Increase flour by 2T, decrease sugar to just less than 1 cup. Increase oven temp to 375 degrees and decrease cooking time to 8 minutes.