It’s Time for the Holiday Cookie Exchange & Hop!
It’s time to visit your favorite Historical Romance authors and exchange recipes for cookies and other holiday treats! For all the links – visit: https://www.facebook.com/share/17TGhpSEyy/
2025 – The Family Drama Around Aunt Millie’s (but really MeMom’s) Molasses Cookies!
I think we all have those women in our families – older aunts or grandmothers, etc – who baked amazing concoctions and share them on special occasions like birthdays and the holidays? My grandmom taught me to bake but the legend when it came to special treats was really my husband’s aunt Millie. When they would visit her as kids (and adults!), she would sneak little snack bags of her incredible Molasses Cookies into their pockets or hands. For them. For them alone. No need to share!
The legend of Aunt Millie’s Molasses Cookies grew! As new people joined the extended family through marriages, it was whispered that we would get some, too. LOL! Well, Aunt Millie would add a couple to the bags she made and now they would be shared. My husband would count them and carefully split them between us – with any extras going to him!
And yes, as someone who bakes, I asked for the recipe and they were delicious, but not the same somehow as her ‘legendary’ ones! I think Aunt Millie adds something else but that’s her secret!
Recently, my daughter-in-law who loves to bake asked one of my sisters-in-law (Aunt “P”) who she happened to visit) about the recipe and got a copy of it. Which she told me about. But when she told me the recipe – it WAS NOT THE SAME ONE! I tried to gently let her down, but we had to call Aunt Millie’s daughter-in-law to confirm it. It was not the right recipe. Aunt “P”‘s recipe was from another side of the family and NOT THE ONE passed down from MeMom Herman to Aunt Millie! Oh, the shame of it! LOL!
So, I gave the correct recipe (originally written by Aunt Millie herself) to my daughter-in-law and make them myself. Whew! The drama!
Aunt Millie’s (but really MeMom Herman’s) Molasses cookies are sweet and dark with a bit of crispiness on the outside and chewy inside. They melt in your mouth! And here’s the recipe, no drama needed:
Aunt Millie’s MeMom’s Molasses Cookie Recipe!
Ingredients:
¾ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 egg
2 tsp baking soda
2 cups flour
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp salt
Directions:
Mix dry ingredients (EXCEPT sugar)
Beat shortening, add sugar, molasses and egg, add dry ingredients a little at a time
Mix well. Cover and refrigerate for 30-60 minutes
Scoop into 1” balls and roll in sugar (flour hands to avoid sticking) Place on parchment on baking sheets about 2” apart.
Bake at 350° for 12 minutes. Let cool a few minutes on baking sheet before moving them to a plate.
Cookies will be a little crispy on the outside and chewy inside! Yum!
For the Holiday Cookie Hop – remember to visit all the authors and list their names and treats and send them to Heather@heathermccollum.com to be included.
For all the links – visit: https://www.facebook.com/share/17TGhpSEyy/
For a chance at my little Holiday treat – a 2026 Scotland calendar and a wee giftie from my last Scotland trip – tell me if your family has one (or more) of those baking/cooking/legendary women or tell me your favorite holiday-time-only treat! (sadly, only US entrants can get the above, all others will be eligible for a g!ft card).
And from my house to yours – Happy Holidays – I hope whichever ones you celebrate as we bring 2025 to a close is filled with family, food, friends and good times!
Merry 🎅🏻🎄🤶🏻 Happy 🕎 Happy 
Happy 🎉🥂
32 thoughts on “It’s Time for the Holiday Cookie Exchange & Hop!”
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Both of my grandmas baked during the holidays and my aunt used to make some our birthday cakes growing up.
My mother was the baker in our family but sadly I did not inherit that gene. My favourite was her almond shortbread.
My Mom used to bake all kinds of cookies and make fudge, I still love doing it but sadly do not have large family gatherings in this generation to share with.
A lot of my family are really good bakers and cooks. This time of year I really enjoy fruitcake made from my great grandmother’s recipe.
My family traces many generations back to Scotland, and my favorite “family” recipes for Christmas is Wassail, and real Scotch Shortbtead! My gr-great-grandfather s name was Henry Cochrane, who emigrated to America and these recipes were his.
I like to bake but I am not legendary, LOL. Love ginger snaps this time of year!
By the time I was born, I only had 1 grandmother, my mom’s mom, and she was already in her 80’s and didn’t cook that much anymore. My mother was an awesome cook who didn’t like to bake. My grandmother did leave us all a couple of recipes, but not really any family tradition for baking. The one recipe I have of hers, she wrote at the top “David likes these”. We don’t know if she was referring to her first husband (my grandfather who died young, work accident) or my brother. The recipe is for Oatmeal Raisen cookies and I only make them during the Holidays…from Thanksgiving through New Years, I am making them at least once a week when the family is all here. There is a batch in the oven now. 🙂
My daughters love baking at Christmas time Thank you for this amazing giveaway Merry Christmas!
My grandmother and mom baked all the time. Now im doing it. Honestly I love it. Merry Christmas 🎅 🎄
My mother in law was a baking whiz. I still use some of her holiday cookie recipes.
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m going to bake them!
My grandmother passed down a delicious pumpkin bread recipe where it was baked in a coffee can!
One of the treats that around Christmas time that I love are chocolate oranges, they are shaped like oranges, but are pure chocolate with a hint of orange flavor – good stuff.
I grew up with my Mom making her mother’s Christmas cookies, Nana’s Animal Cookies. It’s a basic sugar cookie recipe made with confectionery sugar, cut into Christmas cookie shapes. Mom would dye parts red and green to create different cookies. My sister, the baker, continues this tradition. She has all the cookie cutters! 😄
My favorite holiday-time-only treat is Peppermint Bark. Thanks for the chance to win, Terri! Happy Holidays to you and your family!
Well, one of my grandmothers and one of my uncles were the bakers in our family for many years but on the sidelines, I was becoming the baker and candy maker for the family. My grandma and uncle are gone now but I am the baker/candy maker in the family now.
shannonb5009@gmail.com
I have a few amazing bakers in my family. My great-aunt is one of them. She gifted me a cookbook for my bridal shower that she put together, including baking tips. It’s a gem! I love using it. She still gives me new recipes to add to the book.
In my family, it is I who does the baking lol, but my cousin Nicole is the chef. Our Grandma’s family used to own a cooking school in the Philippines. She used to teach us to cook and bake a bunch of family recipes.
Believe it or not my cousin John is the baker in my generation! He bakes all of the Christmas cookies that our parents and grandparents baked, as well as trying new things all the time. My favorite is his melting snowmen cookies!
Both my Mom and Mother-in-law and my husband’s Grandmother were all bakers making lots of wonderful treats! I guess I am too in that category!
My grandmother’s sugar cookie recipe.
Merry Christmas Terri,
My family did/does not have anyone that like to bake.
Thanks,
Charlotte
I am probably as close to a baking person as our family gets and I am nothing like those women 😉 However, the family homemade shortbread I make is a much in demand recipe whenever I make it at the holidays.
don’t have one
I love the cookie that is made with the cookie press. For the life of me, I can’t remember what they are called right now. I also love the snowball cookies.
My Momma every year for my birthday would make me this amazing red velvet cake from scratch ❤️ She didn’t make the cream cheese frosting, no, she would make this frosting from old days that you cook, so good and sprinkle coconut all over😋 I had my last one two years ago 🥹 my Momma was the best cook in her day, oh she’s still with us but her mind is not her own these days 🥲 Thank you 💕 Merry Christmas to you and your family 💖
I didn’t add that my birthday is the day after Christmas
My favorite holiday treat is pumpkin cheesecake.
My grandmother was a wonderful baker! I don’t bake often; however, I do enjoy baking for Christmas with my daughter.
I love peppermint bark. Really, anything with peppermint 🙂
Happy Holidays!!!
I love No Bake cookies my grandma always made them