I love some of the old terminology that we just don’t often use today. Everyone kind of knows what “scant” means. It’s something our parents and grandparents say, and so by its use in context, we know that it means “slightly less than…” or “not quite an adequate amount.” A scant cup? What is that? Well, the original recipe says “10 tbsp” which is about 4.5 oz. or slightly more than half a cup. A cup is 16 tbsp. A scant cup is therefore slightly less than a cup. How much less is open to interpretation. I’d go somewhere between 2/3 cup and a full cup.

If you make this, plan on getting two 12 oz jars of molasses. Our store carries the Grandma Moses brand, but I imagine there are others available. If you use Gram’s substitution of 1 cup sugar, you might want to use brown sugar, as that’s sugar with some molasses still in it and may help preserve the original flavor intended.

Molasses Cookies

3 cups molasses – or 2 c molasses & 1 c sugar

1 1/2 c lard (use butter or shortening)

4 tsp soda dissolved in 10 tbsp scant cup water

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

flour enough to thicken

Go with the old standby baking temp of 350 and check them starting at 8 minutes