Laura Ingalls Wilder, author of the Little House book series, was one of the first great food writers I ever encountered. As an avid young reader, I was enchanted by Little House on the Prairie, Little House in the Big Woods, and the other autobiographical books penned by Laura. I adored her colorful, vivid descriptions of the food her pioneering family cooked. Imagine my delight when I discovered a cookbook, inspired by Laura’s own personal scrapbook, filled with her recipes! This old fashioned molasses cookie recipe with oats and coconut called out to me. Tender and scrumptious, it’s a simple from scratch recipe that the whole family will love.
The Little House books are autobiographical, recounting Laura’s childhood adventures on the American frontier as part of a pioneer family. The Ingalls family rode from state to state in a covered wagon, settling first in the Wisconsin woods, then the prairies of Kansas, then the Minnesota plain, and finally the Dakota Territory. They suffered hardships most of us can only imagine—severe droughts, food shortages, illness, a grasshopper plague, freezing blizzards—yet the strength and love of their family helped them persevere.
Laura Elizabeth Ingalls Wilder, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Some of you might know Laura from the TV show “Little House on the Prairie,” where they used her books as the inspiration for a family TV series. I never watched the show much, but the books were a big part of my childhood. I read the series many times, starting with “Little House in the Big Woods,” where four year-old Laura and her family lived in a log cabin in Wisconsin, and ending with her marriage to Almanzo Wilder in “The First Four Years.”
Little House In the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder – Original Cover. Source: Wikimedia Commons
Food was a major focus of pioneer life; living off the land and feeding a frontier family through farming and hunting was a tremendously difficult challenge. Laura’s colorful descriptions of the recipes she ate growing up seemed to live on the page. Many times I found myself growing hungry at her vivid, sensory descriptions– the tantalizing flavors and aromas, simple pleasures. It was my first real exposure to great food writing.
Laura, along with her husband Almanzo and their daughter Rose, eventually settled in Mansfield, Missouri in 1894. She fell in love with a neglected 40-acre piece of land about a mile outside of Mansfield. The farm, according to the cookbook, is “a crazy quilt of gullies, knobs, slopes, and slants.” Almanzo paid $100 for the land, and Laura named it Rocky Ridge Farm. The farm house still stands, unchanged, as a memorial to Laura and her books. It was here that Laura first wrote the Little House books longhand, the old-fashioned way, with pen and paper.
Rocky Ridge Farm in Mansfield, Missouri. Photo: National Register of Historic Places, Source: Wikimedia Commons
Laura was born on February 7, 1867. To celebrate the occasion of her birthday, I tracked down a copy of the now out-of-print book, “The Laura Ingalls Wilder Country Cookbook.” Unlike other Little House cookbooks that have been published, these recipes come from Laura herself. They were found in her personal cookbook, which is actually a scrapbook of recipes and clippings assembled by Laura during the 1930’s and 40’s. This particular recipe, Molasses Cookies, is described as a “hearty, old-fashioned cookie jar cookie.” It’s a delightful recipe that produces soft, delicately spiced, beautifully flavored cookies. I was pleasantly surprised at how delicious they turned out… they’re not quite like any cookie I’ve ever tasted. The hint of orange is unexpected and lovely.
For generations, readers have been captivated by Laura’s firsthand accounts of pioneer living. The Little House books are cherished as a rare glimpse into America’s frontier past. The stories are heartwarming and unforgettable. If you have young children or grandchildren who enjoy reading, introduce them to this book series– they’re sure to fall in love with Laura and her adventures. I treasure the books, just like I treasure this Molasses Cookies recipe… it is part of our family’s kitchen heritage now, as I hope it will be a part of yours.
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Laura Ingalls Wilder's Molasses Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsweetened grated or flaked coconut (fresh or dried)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 teaspoon allspice
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon orange extract or grated orange zest (or sub 1 tsp vanilla)
NOTES
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and grease two cookie sheets with unsalted butter. If you're using fresh grated coconut, grate it into a bowl and reserve. If using dried coconut, pour the coconut into a small bowl and cover with cold water. Let the coconut soak to rehydrate while you're working with the other ingredients.
- In a medium mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. You can cream them by hand (the way Laura would have) or with an electric mixer.
- Beat in the egg.
- Beat in the molasses.
- Drain the water from the coconut and squeeze dry (if you used fresh coconut, skip this step).
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, including the shredded coconut, along with the orange extract/zest and the coconut. Stir together until a batter forms. Note: If you're not a fan of orange flavoring, sub 1 tsp of vanilla for the orange.
- Drop the batter by heaping tablespoonfuls onto the greased cookie sheet. The cookies spread quite a bit, so make sure you leave enough space between them. I was able to fit 12 cookies per sheet.
- Place the cookie sheets in the oven, one on the top rack and one below. Let them bake for 8 minutes. Switch the sheets, lower to upper and upper to lower, and let them bake for 7-10 minutes longer. Cookies are done when an impression made by lightly touching the center of the cookie does not remain. Begin checking at 7 minutes, and test them frequently until they are done-- don't overbake, or the cookies will dry out.Remove the cookies from the sheets and cool them on a wire rack. Serve. Store them in a sealed container like a plastic zipper bag or sealed Tupperware; this will help them stay fresh.
Nutrition
tried this recipe?
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Leah says
I’m a big fan of books too and can relate to what you said about preferring libraries to shopping. And I love the Little House books and TV series. What I love about this post is the combination of great books and a great recipe.
Kim Bee says
Oh Tori I love this post. I adore the Little House books. I always loved the show as well. Such history to it. I always tend to like the ones that are telling a real story. I can put so much more emotion into reading it and imagining their life and the stories unfolding in print. You may be too young but there were coloring books called the Gingham Girls that always reminded me of Little House with a dash of Holly Hobby. I have not seen them since I was young. I am going to whip up these cookies this weekend. You know I have a weakness for coconut.
RachieJ says
Love love love the Little House series..my Mom actually forbad me from getting the books on our trips to the library..said I had to read other books…still snuck them in once in a while as I loved them so much. Worth re-reading always.
Deena @ stay at home FOODIE says
These cookies sound great. I’m always looking for new cookies. Thank you.
Kristina says
aww! The little house on the prairie books were my favorite growing up! I still have them all packed away 🙂 Love this recipe, such a treat!
Janelle says
I read these books so many times growing up I practically have them memorized. So special to me! Also remember always getting hungry when reading the descriptions of the food; Ma giving the girls “cracklings” after butchering the hog, the maple syrup candy that they would make by pouring the hot syrup into plates of snow, making the little pats of butter with the wooden strawberry molds, the Wilder boys making flapjacks, grinding wheat to make bread during the long winter, and on and on. Love, love, love.
Tina@flourtrader says
I was not even aware that there was any cookbook published-you really did some research and leg work to track this down. All of this does make for an exceptional post. Interesting read and the cookies do look delicious! It is great to come across a vintage recipe and find out more about the history of Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Maggie @ Kitchie Coo says
I love this post! It brought me back to my childhood and my days of reading about Laura and her family. Like you, I was totally smitten by these books and read them over and over. I had no idea that there was a cookbook out there written by her. I would love to get my hands on it. Wonderful. The cookies look wonderful too. I can’t wait to try them.
Kelly says
We LOVE the Little House series in our home. I too read them as a young girl and two years ago read them to my two boys. We visited the homestead in South Dakota last summer and had a great time. We are actually in the middle of a book called Old Town in the Green Groves by Cynthia Rylant. It is excerpts of the Ingalls family’s move to Burr Oak, Iowa. Laura never had a chance to publish this herself.
You’re right about her descriptions! I love your cookies.
Dr. G says
I grew up on Little House. It is a comfort, a happiness for me. Thanks for making me realize that I can share that feeling with my boys through her recipes!
The Smart Cookie Cook says
I grew up watching the TV show, and my sister had all the books. I absolutely love that you made cookies in honor of Laura Ingalls Wilder. They look pretty darn delicious too!
jdana says
I can relate! Loved the books, loved the TV series, love oatmeal, molasses, coconut and cookies. Nice that this is a LIW original. Thank you for all your lovely blogs – some of the best around. I have recommended your blog to many.
Stefani says
Thanks so much for this post. My nine year old daughter just performed a biography at school for Laura Ingalls Wilder, and she’s enchanted with the books. We’ll be making these tonight for her birthday!
Rachel@Time for Good Food says
LOVE this post!!! I was such a Little House fanatic as a child that my parents actually drove out our way on a trip out west so that I could visit the Wilder home in Missouri. I literally kissed the ground (I was bookish as well)! I feel many warm happy memories when I think about Laura Ingalls Wilder and am happy to know that today is her birthday. Thank you for sharing. And I definitely will try these cookies!
Alida says
These were my favorite books as a child! I do remember how she talked about food in great detail…especially black strap molasses. I am excited to try this recipe – thanks!
Lacy @ NYCityEats says
These cookies sound amazing! I’ve never read the little house books but you’re making me want to go back and read them now 🙂 Great post!
Kiri W. says
I love molasses cookies, but with coconut? Heaven! What a treat!
Steph@stephsbitebybite says
Such a great post!! I loved reading all those books! And these cookies look to.die.for.!!
Sarah says
I am loving looking around your site! I love how you give context for your recipes, and your photos are wonderful. I will definitely be trying out some things here!
Bookmarking now. 🙂
Katrina @ Warm Vanilla Sugar says
Awww, this brought back memories! I loved those books as a kid!!