Soft Molasses Cookies AKA Fat Archie’s
These soft molasses cookies deliver on flavour, spice, and delicious, warming comfort.
This is one of those classic old fashioned soft (but not too soft) molasses cookies. They’re the famous Pubnico molasses cookies, also known as Long Johns, Moose Hunters, Fat Archie’s & Lumberjacks.
Soft but sturdy molasses cookies have been around for a long time. They travel well and are filling so are as practical as they are delicious.
These are meant to be a thicker cookie so take care not to roll them too thinly. The dough texture will vary depending on your flour. If it seems too soft to handle you can add up to an extra ¼ cup of flour. And you’ll use more flour when you roll them out.
Different versions of this cookie have different spice blends. Feel free to add extra ginger if you’d like them a little spicier.
PrintPubnico Soft Molasses Cookies
This is a classic old fashioned soft (but not too soft) molasses cookie. Also known as Long Johns, Moose Hunters, Fat Archie’s & Lumberjacks.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup Crosby’s Fancy Molasses
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 4 1/2 – 5 cups all-purpose flour, spooned in
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon each of ginger, cloves, cinnamon and salt
- 1/2 cup milk
Instructions
- In a large bowl cream sugar and butter. Add molasses and egg and blend well.
- Combine dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture, alternating with the milk.
- Scrape dough onto a lightly flowered surface and gather into a ball. Flatten into a disk, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for an hour or overnight. (Add up to 1/2 cup additional flour if the dough is too soft to handle.)
- Preheat oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4 inch thick and cut into rounds (or preferred shape).
- Place on prepared sheet, about 1 1/2 “ apart.
- Bake 12-15 minutes.
Rick
Great recipe! Easy to follow step by step. My question is where can you get a cookie stamp like the pattern illustrated in the picture? I have checked most online commercial and domestic kitchen stores and only come up with seasonal stamps i.e. Christmas. Most stamps are small too small in diameter to do these cookies justice.
Linda Fairchild
I’m from Nova Scotia and live in California. I wonder what molasses here is comparable to Crosby’s?
Joyce A MacDonald, Edmonton Alberta
Nice recipe. I am a maritime girl and this cookie reminds me of Norton New Brunswick’s best cook, Frannie O’Donnell and her secret recipe cookies. She only passed it on to her kids and I could not bribe any of them to give it up. This came closest of all I have tried. For me it was 12 minutes max to get the right softness. I had to dust with sugar as I used black strap. Next time fancy all the way.
Tanya
Remind me of my Mom’s cookies. Glad to have found this since nobody has a copy of Mom’s anymore.
Theresa
Great recipe for my grandson to make, he loves baking molasses cookies.
Jane Staples
My grandmother made these every time we visited. Wonderful to see the recipe!
Beverley Butler
My mother used to always have molasses in the house but this is one item that I have never purchased in my life! Seeing these recipes has peaked my interest so thank you for giving me some inspiration 🌸
Lorraine
Delicious
I’m just hoping you have a carb count for these cookies. Save me calculating. My grandson is diabetic. It’s for his insulin dose
jen vasseur
i am a type 1 as well and Carb counts would be helpful. it just depends on the size and all the other factors… so i just treat for an elevated BS if i partake.
Cath
Have tried a molasses drop cookie recipe at 350. They burn every time.😭 I keep telling myself it’s the oven. So I’m scrapping the old drop recipe for this one. Wish me luck😊
Julia
You might want to buy an oven thermometer to check that your oven is calibrated properly.
Cressida
If your oven is properly calibrated, I wonder if you’re skipping the parchment paper. A bit of scorching is always to be watched for when you’re baking with molasses, but I have found that parchment is a reliable safeguard.
Marie Smith
Looks like what my grandmother made for years and I still make. Would love a GF version for my daughter.
Ann Campbell
I made these today. They turned out amazing
Alexandra
I had no time or space to roll and cut so rolled into one inch balls and flattened with a fork
My 5yr old granddaughter said they were the best cookies ever and they look flawlessly uniform.
Christine Storrs
I use a cookie scoop and flatten my cookies with the bottom of a glass.
Cecilia M. Milford
Hi,
Is Pubnico cookies made with white sugar and not brown?
Crosby Molasses
Hi Cecilia, This recipe is made with granulated (white) sugar. If a recipe requires brown sugar the ingredients will state brown sugar. Enjoy.
Jan
Hi, I want to put a light dusting of flour on top of the cookie. Do I do that on the dough or the baked cookie please? Thanks
Crosby Molasses
Hi Jan, You could dust them before baking.
Jacquie
I enjoy recipes using molasses and especially the molasses cookies and bread recipies.
Val
Hi, can I use as drop cookies instead of rolling them out?
Crosby Molasses
Hi Val, I haven’t tried this recipe as drop cookies so am not sure what the texture would be like if you baked them as a drop cookie.
Katherine Adele Noonan Aldinger
My mom made these as I was growing up but she called them “leatherbacks”. I am going to make them this weekend to help bring back some precious memories. She also topped them with one raisin on each cookie.
Crosby Molasses
Hi Katherine, Thank for sharing your family name for these cookies. I love that there are all sorts of names for them and that they bring back such happy memories.
Hugh Messer
The best molasses cookies ever! Can’t miss with Crosby’s!!
Crosby Molasses
Hi Hugh, I agree, there’s nothing like a good old fashioned molasses cookie recipe.
Joanne
This cookies were delicious! My husband and son loved them. Very easy to make! Thanks
Margaret Schedler
Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes. Crosby’s Molasses has been an important ingredient in my kitchen for 65 years.
Margaret Schedler
Thank you so much for all your delicious recipes. I have had Crosby’s Molasses on my shelf for 65 years, and use it regularly.
Carol-Ann
I’m going to try these as they look lovely. They seem pretty big. What is the diameter of each cookie. Thank you!
Lynn Purdy
Carol-Ann, I believe each cookie is 3 1/2″ in diameter. You can use whatever size you want, though.
Drew
My grandmother used to make these but would substitute all spice for the ginger. I like to add a little nutmeg as well.
Thanks for the recipe, brings back a lot of memories.
Crosby Molasses
Hi Drew, I love the idea of changing up the spices. I guess everyone had their own version back in the day.
Sandra Lynds Carleton
I made it but little difficult dough from fridge. I took little more flour on it and rolled it. They are delicious that my husband loves them. Give you five stars.
Lynn Purdy
Sandra, So happy your husband liked these cookies. Most dough is difficult as it comes out of the fridge, but worth it in the long run. Thanks for the 5 stars!!
sandra rogerson
i really like your recipes the ingredients are things you have
Lynn Purdy
Sandra, Thank you for the complement. We try to keep the recipes simple. Simple is good. Keep trying our recipes.