You can add a tablespoon of molasses but the cookies will be just fine with your light brown sugar. In gingerbread or gingerbread cookies, I always add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes rubbed between my fingers before adding them. It gives the gingerbread just a bit of extra 'kick'. I also double the amount of ginger. /tricia

LOL, Bragu, thanks for the numbers. (grin) FOAS, I don't make them nearly as often as I used to, and the batch makes so many that I just freeze balls of dough on sheet pans then dump them into ziplock bags and keep them in the freezer. I was out, but I'm not any more, and now I have some for next week when Mother comes to stay for a few days. Plus my stepdaughter's husband says they are the best cookie he's ever had and they are coming to visit around Thanksgiving, so I can have some in the freezer all ready to bake.. Cloud Swift, I hope you heal up quickly and completely. Cookies are good medicine, be sure to eat lots! edie, I know that molasses cookies are kind of "old fashioned", but I still like them the best. LindaC, she seemed to be able to handle cookies with both hands and mentioned that she could use some help with an upcoming bake sale. She's definitely not able to bake anything. No good deed goes unpunished... Chloebud, I have to get my baking fix somehow, plus practice for Christmas! Sheilajoyce, My nickname wasn't nearly that nice, LOL, but I do like cookies. And, it gave us enough energy to finish up those QuickBooks, so it was a pretty good day. Annie

lpinkmountain, yes I did. I found this recipe via Facebook! Here is the full original recipe: Oven at 325° 2 cups butter, softened 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar 4 - 4-1/2 cups A. P. Flour Pinch salt Cream butter, sugar & salt until fluffy. Add 3-3/4 cups flour, mix well. Turn out on floured surface, knead 5 minutes, adding enough of remaining flour to form soft dough (I always end up using all 4-1/2 cups.) Roll 1/2" thick, cut into 3" X 1" strips, prick with fork. Place strips about 1/2" apart on parchment paper-lined cookie sheets and bake until lightly browned, 20 - 25 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for a couple of minutes before removing to cooling racks. To make the maple walnut I added about 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 teaspoon maple extract and probably about 1/2 cup chopped walnuts to 1/2 of the dough when I started kneading. If you are going to make one full batch you can double the extracts & walnuts and add to the mixing bowl after adding the first round of flour and mix well. I have also found that the easiest way to cut the strips is with a pizza cutter. For some reason adding the nuts makes these a little more prone to breaking so be careful when removing to cooling racks. Enjoy!

I do what Annie said. My grandma's molasses cookie recipe is my favorite, very molasses forward, but it calls for shortening. I don't like hydrogenated fats in general, but to get the right consistency that I loved in grandma's cookies, I compromise and use half butter and half stick shortening/margarine. I've tried the more "natural" shortenings but I don't really see a big advantage to them. The shortening is a texture thing, not a taste thing. I have the same experience with oatmeal and chocolate chip cookies, for the consistency. You can also use 2/3 butter and 1/3 shortening, that's the minimum level that works.