I have made Brer Rabbit molasses cookies since getting married in 1958. My excellent-cook Mother was amazed at my ability & envied my cookies!

Our children loved these cookies I always made to take camping. Since we live in the west where Ponderosa pines, with their reddish, rough bark are often seen in woodsy areas, the kids named them "tree cookies". The kids are grown & taking their own children camping. This great-gramma is still making tree cookies, the all-time favorite, for her campin' kids :)

I made this as a kid; I still make it as an old goat. It is always delicious. I do, however, use butter instead of shortening. To each his own. lol

I used to eat these as a child and my grandmother made them. I loved them. The thing she did to add to them is put different flavors of jelly or jam in the center of each cookie. Loved them. Recently sent my mom and email to ask for "grandma's" molasses cookie recipe. She sent me a picture of the recipe on the label of the molasses. I am looking forward to making some for my friends here in Guatemala.

I have the recipe that my Mom used, I am sure since she used Brer Rabbit, that this is the recipe, BUT she melted the shortening, cooled, but don't let it solidify, and the added the egg, sugar, and molasses, then incorporated the dry ingredients. AND we love the cookies to be CRUNCHY!! Personal preference I suppose! I will never know why she changed it and melted the shortening. She passed when I was 16!

Just like Grandma used to make!

I first found this recipe in the late 50's when I was about 12 years old, in a Brer Rabbit ad on the back of a women's magazine. It was the first recipe I ever made all by myself. My mother was so proud of me. I've been making them for 60 years now.

I love these cookies! My Grandmother made them all the time.. I've been making them for since my son was a baby he's 32 now, my kids ask for them all the time.. They are always a hit! I am so happy I found this recipe. I lost my Grandmother's recipe in a move.

High Altitude. I use Crisco butter flavored and bake at 350°F. WONDERFUL every time.

I love these. I'm 86 now and have made them for at least 66 years.

AT LAST :) I have been searching for my childhood crispy molasses cookies!!! The key of melting shortening is so essential! My mom refrigerated them, rolled them into balls and then into granulated sugar, pressed them with bottom of a glass. Needed to be watched so they didn't burn! Thank you so much! The one time I will break my "clean eating". :)

If you overbake and they come out crispy, it can easily be fixed. Put the cookies in a food storage container and cover with wax paper. Put a slice of bread on the wax paper and seal the container with a tight-fitting lid. Leave overnight and the next day, the cookies will be moist. Do not put the bread directly on the cookies or they will be soggy and spoiled by the next day. This works with chocolate chip cookies too.