I would (and do!) use the butter. I’m always happy with the results and don’t have an issue with spreading. Chilling the dough is key for me. I can’t even remember the last time I used shortening for any cookies, and I’ve been baking a very long time.

FWIW, this is from King Arthur. I’d go with the butter!

Cookies

If you’ve ever had a tray of cookies morph into one huge mess in the oven, it’s time to listen up.

Cookies made with butter, especially high-sugar recipes, tend to be flatter and crispier than cookies made with shortening. Because of butter’s low melting point, the dough tends to spread during baking before the structure sets.

To see just how different the spread would be, I baked two batches of our Self-Rising Crunchy Sugar Cookies (one made with all butter, one with all shortening), for another shortening vs. butter in baking comparison.

As predicted, the cookies made with shortening spread less and remained slightly rounded, thanks to the higher melting point. These cookies had what’s called a “short” texture. You might recognize this slightly sandy, crumbly feel as the characteristic texture of shortbread. (Yum.)

If you’re having problems with cookies spreading, you might try replacing some of the butter with shortening. Keep in mind this is just one reason why cookies spread; there’s a multitude of factors you can adjust if you’re committed to using butter for its rich flavor.

A quick fix? Consider chilling your butter-based cookie dough to help control spread (and bonus, you'll also experience a wonderful depth of flavor, too!).

If the recipes do not say ”vegetable shortening” they may (that's ”may”) be dealer's choice. Within the bounds of Chloebud's excellent information and advice, given that all fats have different sized globules and melting points, which will affect rise/spread, texture, oven time, color and really just about every variable, just about any classic cookie recipe can be made with butter, lard, vegetable shortening or baking sticks (100 Calorie per tablespoon). Liquid oil bakes differently and needs its own recipes. Whipped vegan butters and low calorie marjarines have liquid oil added so are also problematic. But ”shortening”, especially in old recipes, may well mean any solid shortening and leave the variables, including adapting time and temperature to your own oven, which may be the biggest variable of all, to you,

Thanks to both of you and I will definitely chill the dough first.

Yes. I've made that cookie plenty of times and only use butter. Also, make sure the dough is ice cold before baking. Otherwise, you'll get huge cookies that are as thin as paper. I usually form the cookies into balls and then chill them down while the oven is heating.

Oh, form them first and then chill. OK

In my desperation to bake a molasses cookie that didn’t flatten upon cooling, I once tried a recipe which called for butter-flavored Crisco. The cookies were beautiful, thick, and photo-worthy….and tasted like absolute cr@p. Butter-flavored Crisco tastes nothing at all like butter!!

If you’re interested in trying a new recipe, I like this one. I find them delicious and impossible to stop eating.

https://www.twosisterscrafting.com/gingerbread-crinkle-cookies/

Chilling the dough can also make scooping even balls easier. Some people do that because they don't have space for the tray in the fridge. The order you do it will slightly affect your baking time, but so does everything else with making cookies. :)

“Chilling the dough can also make scooping even balls easier.”

It really does.

This is one of my favorite recipes for Molasses Cookies from the Silver Palate. The recipe doesn’t instruct you to, but I always chill the dough since it makes handling it easier. I then roll it into balls for baking (much faster/easier than the wet batter mentioned in the recipe). With this recipe the cookies will flatten even if you chill the dough. The photo’s from some years back, but it shows the finished cookies. I always add the dots of royal icing to jazz them up for Christmas.

Molasses Cookies (From the Silver Palate)
(Makes about 24 cookies)

12 T. butter
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda

Preheat oven to 350.

Melt butter, add sugar and molasses, and mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add slowly to butter mixture stirring constantly; blend well.

Sift flour with spices, salt and baking soda, and add to first mixture; mix. Batter will be wet.

Lay a sheet of nonstick foil on a cookie sheet. Drop tablespoons of cookie batter on foil, leaving 3 inches between the cookies. These will spread during baking.

Bake until cookies start to darken, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven while still soft. Let cool on the foil to firm up.

I think that's pretty close if not identical to the recipe on the Grandmas Molasses jar. Got a cat on my lap and can't get up to check right now.

I can relate to the cat in a lap! I checked my Grandma’s Molasses jar, and the recipes are a bit different. The one on the jar sounds good…definitely use butter!👍🏻

Shortening is basically vegetable oil, so you can sub that too - or use part butter, part oil. I do think oil gives crispier results in cookies.

I do avoid vegetable oil, but I do use coconut oil. Oh, this is when I really miss Grainlady.

FWIW, I've long used extra virgin olive oil combined with butter for baked goods - it actually gives things a richer flavor, IME.

I make my Grandma's old Molasses Cookies recipe and although it originally called for lard, it got upgraded to shortening, and I use half butter and half shortening. I've used all butter more than once and it works too, although the cookies are a bit crisper.

Annie

annie's recipe is best! I double the crystalized ginger.

Double it from what to what? I had seriously considered adding candied ginger to the dough. Annie, could you post the recipe, please?

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.

Here you go

https://www.gardenweb.com/discussions/2478362/annie-s-chewy-molasses-cookies#n=18

She said she used half a cup and I used a cup. My child is the one who likes these cookies, and they are ginger crazy. I eat as many as I can get a hold of, but that's not very many when kiddo is around

Thanks, Robin, I didn't see this until now. I did bake some of those cookies today, though, and I think they aren't going to last very long, I'll have to bake more before Christmas.

My favorite cookie, though? That's my problem, they are ALL my favorites, I can't choose!

Annie

Too late for me to use Annie's recipe, but the cookies I made came out great. And I did add chopped candied ginger. In the exchange, I was left with fewer of my own cookies than I would have liked--I do think they were better than a number of the others brought.