This is a collection of my favourite recipes that I make all the time. They're all ones that I've slowly collected over the years from friends, family, online blogs, etc. I'll link to the original recipes whenever possible, but there are one or two that I think the websites/blogs I got them from no longer exist. I'll also do my best to explain certain steps/terms in short, simple ways to try to make the recipes more accessible if you're a beginner because I tend to write recipes like my grandma with very little info ('cook until done' type of instructions lol).
I figure the best place to start is what has pretty much become a family recipe at this point! I've been making these with my mom since we found the original (and at this point, probably a bit different) recipe in a promotional crisco recipe book. I make these every year for the holidays and they always get eaten super fast. For the molasses in this recipe I mix half and half cooking molasses and fancy molasses. If you want a stronger taste you can use just cooking molasses. These cookies hold a very special place in my heart which reminds me of growing up in New Brunswick, Canada. If you want them to be authentically maritime, use Crosby brand molasses! :)
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 cup shortening (room temp)
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp black pepper
a pinch of cayenne
white sugar to roll the cookies in
Directions:
Measure out all of your spices into a small bowl and stir together until well mixed (this helps to make sure the spices are spread evenly throughout the dough when we combine everything later)
Add the brown sugar to a large bowl, then add your shortening in 2-3 slices. Using an electric hand beater or blender, cream together the shortening and sugar. (Adding the sugar first helps keep the shortening from sticking to the bowl, slicing up the shortening into smaller pieces makes it easier and faster for it to come together. Creaming it just means blending the two together until they become a soft, fluffy, and creamy texture)
Sift together then stir flour, baking soda, and spice mix. Beat half of this into the shortening until just combined. Then add remainder just to blend. Scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as you go to make sure everything is combined. ('beat' is an acutal setting on some hand beaters, usually older ones, just means at a high setting like 5 or 6. 'Just combined' means right when it looks like it's all mixed in, you don't want to over beat cookies of they'll become tough. 'Just to blend' refers to mixing at the 'blend' setting on a hand beater, typically a 2 or 3 setting, and again being mindful to only blend until everything is combined and not longer)
Before you begin shaping the cookies, preheat your oven to 375 F (190 C). Using a regular spoon, scoop about a tablespoon of dough at a time and roll it into a ball roughly 1" in diameter, then roll the dough balls in white sugar until they're coated in a thin layer of sugar. Place them on a baking sheet about 2" apart and bake for 8-10 minutes, depending on size and how fast your oven tends to bake(I don't typically line the pan and I've never had them stick, but feel free to line it if you prefer. Also, lightly wetting your hands helps to keep the dough from sticking to them, too much water will make the dough goo and stick more though so be careful)
This recipe usually makes around 50 or more cookies if you make them small like directed, but I've also made them closer to 2" balls in the past and given an extra minute of baking and they've turned out great. Smaller cookies = more cookies that are crunchier, bigger cookies = less cookies that slightly more chewy.