Anne’s Favorite Molasses Crinkle Cookies

This recipe is one I have used for over 30 years. It’s a simple recipe, but if my boys could request only 1 type of cookie, it would be these molasses crinkles.

Ingredients

1 cup butter

1/2 cup blackstrap molasses

2 cups sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 tsp salt

4 tsp baking soda

1 3/4 tsp cinnamon

1 3/4 tsp allspice

1 3/4 tsp ginger

4 cups unbleached flour

**approximately 1/4 cup additional sugar in a shallow bowl to roll cookie dough balls in before baking

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Melt butter over low heat just until melted. Remove from heat and pour into mixing bowl.

3. Add molasses and sugar to butter and mix. Then add the eggs, mix to combine.

4. Combine dry ingredients (except the additional sugar) in a medium bowl. Add to the butter and sugar mixture, combine well.

5. Use a 1-tablespoon cookie scoop (or measuring spoon) to scoop the dough out and roll it into a ball. Coat with sugar and arrange on a parchment lined baking sheet, spaced about 2” apart.

6. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until firm to the touch. The dough you see through the crinkles, will look wet just before the cookie is ready to come out of the oven. Cool on a rack.

Anne’s Notes

Regular molasses will work, but the flavor will be milder.

Don’t overbake. Because the dough is so dark to start with, you’ll have to test a batch to get your preferred baking time.

This recipe works really well with whole grain flours.

Beachbody was a blessing, even if I don’t like how it closed.

I would do it all over again.

3 weeks ago, I found out from a social media post, that the business I had built with Beachbody (Million Dollar Body, Team Beachbody, then BODi) spanning nearly 2 decades, was done. It took me a couple of days of shock and disbelief before I could even say the words out loud to my husband, followed by days of reaching out to people who were in my team, people who had mentored me and had been mentored by me, to check in and help process.

You’ve heard me say this before, but nothing on this earth is permanent.

It stinks and was like a punch to the gut. If you read this whole post, don’t get me wrong, I’m not a Pollyanna. I was angry and frustrated. I hurt for all my friends. But, I’m making the choice to not let bitterness take hold. I’ve had reasons and opportunities to lead elsewhere off and on over the years. But my people were here, deep relationships were here.

During all the presentations I did from stage, in living rooms, and in coffee shops, I always shared, ‘I’m taking this across the goal line, and you can come with me.’ I never knew how far ahead the goal line was, but now I can see it, now I can cross it and know that I kept my promise to myself, my family and the team of people who became like family.

Even though the last 3 weeks have been a little rough, and I don’t like how this chapter was cut short, I would do it all again, because it was never just about a product. We built relationships. We led with passion and purpose. We loved, worked and played hard.

In the beginning, I had to grow myself before I could grow a team and then an income. And, God’s hands were all over this journey. I didn’t always like it that I was the income earner in our family, I even complained once in awhile, but 5 years ago it became clear why God had led us down this path, why he had put the people where he did in my life to help me be successful. [How young Alzheimer’s took my husband.]

I’m so grateful for the company and for the opportunity I was given nearly 20 years ago. I’m grateful for the incredible friends, the corporate staff, the friends who have come and gone, and those who stuck in with us, as we navigated all the change over the years.

I understand the stigma of network marketing so well. But, it was a huge blessing for me and my family. One of the greatest personal assets coming out of Beachbody, was that I had been given the gift of a safe space to learn leadership. The lessons I learned, the opportunities that came my way because of what we built, and the skills I practiced, will all stay with me, will help me lead going forward.

I’m staying in the network marketing space, even after the traumatic way our company ended our BODi careers. I know I could get a lot of traffic if I went onto tiktok or instagram and slammed my prior company, or slammed network marketing. But the truth is, it changed my life. I’m looking forward to working on some more personal projects, including a couple books and some creative pursuits.

I know it sounds crazy, but I really would do it all over again, even if you told me 18 years ago, that it would end this way. I’m proud that I didn’t quit. I’m proud of the people I called my team. Beachbody coaching was my vocation, but not my identity!

So, I choose to bless and release Beachbody, known as BODi, and see what the next chapter has in store, without harboring any resentment. And, that’s not a Pollyanna viewpoint. That’s a decision to lead with integrity and say goodbye to something that was good, that had many great things come out of it, and not carry any bitterness with me into my next chapter!

Your friend,

Anne Dovel Morris

Ann Wood Stitch Book begins January 19, 2024

I followed along and did the daily stitching to make a stitch book in 2021 with Ann Wood Handmade. It was such a great experience for me, to have 15 minutes of stitching every day for 100 days.

As a caregiver for my husband with early onset Alzheimer’s, I could keep supplies by my chair and stitch. The reason I joined was to make myself do something. But, in the end, one of the things I learned from the 100 days of stitching was that it was an idea factory. When I would sit down to stitch, I would grab some perle cotton #8, which is my favorite, and thread a needle and just start stitching. Some days my stitching was simply running stitch or “taking my needle for a walk,” as I would call it on social media.

I am joining the Ann Wood stitch book sew along again, on January 19, 2024. You can read all about it on Ann Wood’s blog or do a search in Instagram.

I’ll post some of my “pages” from 2021. To be honest, I am missing 1 page and hadn’t sewn my first book together yet because caregiving and taking care of our acreage at the same time, got pretty busy in April 2021 and I set the pages aside, but that’s on my list to finish before I start the 2024 sew along. It’s an even busier time now, as my husband passed and I’m getting my acreage ready to list for sale in the spring. But, that’s why I chose this project. I’m packing up my bigger projects and sewing stash so it’s ready when I have to move. Small projects, that require little time but make me pick up a needle and thread help me feel more alive.

Join me on Instagram or on my Prairie Woman Arts Facebook page, where I’ll be posting my daily stitch in my story with the hashtag #annwoodstitchbook2024 .

Thank you for visiting my blog, friend.

Anne