Joe Froggers

Joe Froggers were first created by a Marblehead, Massachusetts, character called Uncle Joe, who lived on the edge of a frog pond.

Uncle Joe made the best molasses cookies in town, and they were called Joe Froggers because they were as large as the lily pads frogs sat on and as dark as the frogs in the pond. Fishermen found they would keep on long sea voyages and soon began trading rum for Uncle Joe’s cookies.

Bake: 12 min

Ingredients

• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup dark molasses
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher or sea salt (or less)
• 1/3 cup rum
• 3 tablespoons hot water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Instructions

1. Sift together flour, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, allspice and salt. Mix rum and water.
2. Combine molasses and baking soda.
3. In a large bowl cream sugar and butter. To this add half the dry ingredients, half the water mixture, and half the molasses mixture, blending well after each addition. Repeat. Cover and chill dough at least 2 hours or overnight.
4. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a cookie sheet.
5. On well-floured surface, roll dough 1/4 inch thick. Cut with a 4 inch cutter or 1 pound coffee can.
6. Bake on prepared cookie sheet for 10 to 12 minutes.
7. Let stand for 2 to 3 minutes before removing from cookie sheet onto wire racks to cool.