After I posted the Oatmeal Molasses Cookies recipe, my friend Beverly emailed to say she had a similar recipe called Molasses Coconut Chews. Molasses and coconut isn't an often used combo, so I was excited to try the recipe. It's adapted from an Old Sturbridge Village booklet called “Hot from the Oven”.

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Over the years Beverly has altered the recipe, so she included notes with her changes. It is worth mentioning, also, that Bev is a retired pastry chef. I've since made these with Bev's changes so they're different from the ones in the book.

Texture and Flavor

These are sweet and chewy. I have made them with shortening, butter, and a butter and shortening combo with the usual outcomes. Shortening gives a better texture and butter adds flavor. Using half shortening and half butter gives you the best of both worlds. They don't have spices so you can really taste the molasses, and they're not overly sweet even with all that sugar.

Amount of Flour

The Old Sturbridge recipe originally called for 4 cups of flour. Bev reduced it to to 3 for thinner, chewier, cookies. I'm guessing the 4 cups of flour in the original recipe must have been bleached all-purpose that had been measured with a lighter hand because 3 cups of unbleached King Arthur weighing 400 grams worked fine. So if you have good strong flour, start with 3 cups or weigh 400 grams. You can add more flour if needed.

Giant 5-Inch Molasses Cookies

Here's one last photo. I was able to make jumbo size cookies by doubling up the well chilled dough balls, pressing slightly and baking. This worked well for 5 inch cookies.

Chewy jumbo 5-inch molasses cookie with coconut

Halving the Recipe

If you're curious about the molasses & coconut comb and want to try a half batch, the recipe halves easily. You can even quarter it and make it with 2 tablespoons of beaten egg.

Baking With Blackstrap

The other day I made a small batch of Molasses Coconut Chews with blackstrap molasses. Some people say you can’t bake with blackstrap, but it depends on the recipe and possibly the brand of blackstrap. When I used it in this recipe (Plantation), the cookies were less sweet but still very good. But I recommend going with mild molasses if possible. That being said, some recipes are built around blackstrap and in small amounts, it’s a great flavor enhancer for chocolate chip cookies. Some of the popular cookie chains use it.

Recipe