Sometimes old recipes have really fun, descriptive names. When I saw a recipe in a hundred-year-year old cookbook for “Cry Baby” cookies, I just knew that I needed to give it a try.
The cookies are an old-fashioned drop cookie with molasses and spices – and lots of raisins and nuts. They were lovely – and I can see why children would “cry” for them. These cookies would be a perfect addition to a child’s (or adult’s) packed lunch.
Here’s the original recipe:
This recipe makes a lot of cookies – probably about 100 cookies. Most modern cookie recipes don’t make that many cookies, so I updated the recipe to make 1/2 of the old recipe.
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
'Cry Babies' Cookies
1/2 cup hot coffee
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
dash salt
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Preheat oven to 375° F. Dissolve the baking soda in the hot coffee.
Put sugar, molasses, shortening, egg, cinnamon, ginger, salt, and the coffee with baking soda in a large mixing bowl; beat until combined. Add flour, and stir until combined and smooth. Add raisins and walnuts; stir to distribute throughout the dough. Drop heaping teaspoons about 2 inches apart on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes, or until lightly browned.
These look good. All I need to do now is to convert cups to grams!
It’s fascinating how weight is commonly used in recipes in the U.K. and other countries, while measures of volume are typically used in cookbooks in the U.S.
I know! And we all prefer the system we were brought up with.
They sound really tasty! And I love the name.
The name is so much fun. They’re yummy. My son really liked them.
They have a lot of flavors in them. A hundred seems like a lot of cookies to make.
When I saw that the original recipe called for 5 cups of flour, I knew that I needed to halve it. Families were larger back then, so maybe they wanted to make more cookies.
I’m always looking for new cookie recipes!! Now I have a plan for all the walnut pieces we were gifted!
I think that you’ll like this recipe.
How would I sub for the shorting..butter or lard?
Butter or lard probably could be substituted for the shortening.
That is a fun name. Bet the cookies were good.
The were tasty.
They look like little scoops of ice cream! I am intrigued by the idea of the coffee and they sound delicious. I am almost tempted to make some, but my plate is full at the moment, and not of 100 cookies!
They’re tasty and would be lovely with coffee. I halved the recipe, so you’d only end up with about 50 if you used the updated version. 🙂
Not that I would not eat 100 cookies…
The version I have makes a lot of cookies (which is a good thing because everyone wants them when I make them). It was a recipe my mom had. It was on a recipe card handwritten (in her handwriting). My sister found something “close” in a Presidential Cookbook from President Monroe’s kitchen. I can find something close to my mom’s from a 1922 cookbook.
I can find something close to it from a 1922 cookbook.
Cry Baby Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 cup molasses
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cloves
2 eggs
2 tsps baking soda mixed in 1 cup (8 ounces) hot coffee
5 cups flour
Cream shortening and sugar together until fluffy. Add molasses, mix until smooth. Add spices,
mix until smooth. Beat in eggs. Add coffee/baking soda mix until smooth. Mix in flour one cup
at a time. Drop about tablespoon size of dough onto cookie sheets. Makes about 4-5 dozen.
Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.
Thanks for sharing the recipe in the 1922 cookbook. As you noted, the recipes are very similar. Interesting that the 1922 recipe calls for coffee.