In this unusual situation, true crime and cookies go together like peanut butter and jelly. The name Murder Cookies is rather intriguing. We had so many questions. What is a Murder Cookie? Did someone use a cookie to murder someone? Was this a Dexter situation? Gasp! But, still, we were fascinated by these criminally-delicious dubbed cookies.
We headed over to the subreddit Old_Recipes where the Secret Scotch “Murder Cookies” posted by u/NearKilroy had gone viral and put our detective skills to the test.
Why Are They Called Murder Cookies?
According to u/NearKilroy, they were innocently investigating a murder that took place in their house during the 1930s. They explained, “In short, a woman was murdered by someone. Her husband moved to another state with their children two days later and married another woman two days after that. Her husband was a suspect but never went to court.”
The murder investigation led them down a dark rabbit hole. They uncovered that back in the 1930s, the neighbor owned a bakery next door. The baker neighbor had won the recipe of the year for Cushman’s Bakery Scotch cookies. Fellow Redditors then dubbed these tasty baked treats murder cookies after u/NearKilroy uncovered the curious vintage recipe during her murder investigation.
Do the murder cookies have any direct ties to this unfortunate woman’s untimely death? We’ll never be entirely sure. However, u/NearKilroy describes some unusual paranormal activity happening within her home, especially in the kitchen. They explain, “The ghost knocks over baking supplies from time to time (mostly baking soda).” Is the murder victim trying to give u/NearKilroy a message from the other side, or is it that the ghost can’t get enough of Cushman’s Bakery Scotch “Murder Cookies?” Because after all, they’re to die for.
How Do You Make Murder Cookies?
We took a stab at Reddit’s Secret Scotch “Murder Cookies,” and at first glance, it seemed to be relatively simple to prepare. However, the recipe called for a few “old-timey” ingredients that we don’t often reach for in the kitchen nowadays.
Murder cookies call for shortening, molasses, and ground mace. These three old-fashioned ingredients may be missing from your cabinet or pantry. Don’t fret, there are ways around it.
Can I Use Butter In Place Of Shortening?
Murder cookies call for one cup of shortening. But, if you don’t have shortening on hand, you could use one cup of butter.
Cookies prepared with shortening are baked up taller and tend to be softer than cookies prepared with butter. While cookies that contain butter will appear flat and have more flavor.
What Can I Use Instead Of Molasses?
Unless you’re making gingerbread cookies or Christmas pudding, molasses may not be readily on hand. If you’re not up to going to the store for a jar of this sticky sweet syrup, you could always substitute it with a few kitchen staples.
Brown sugar is the most similar in flavor to molasses. Use six tablespoons of brown sugar and two tablespoons of hot water in place of molasses.
Additionally, you could use a 1/2 cup of maple syrup in place of molasses if you were in a pinch.
What Is Ground Mace?
Ground mace is the outer layer of the whole nutmeg seed. Although it’s not nutmeg, it’s closely related. Mace is sweeter and more intense than nutmeg with bright cinnamon notes, yet it’s notably similar.
It might be tricky to find ground mace at your local grocery store, but you can easily pick up a bottle online.
If mace is missing from your spice rack, and you’re not sure how to replicate its warm, cozy flavor, no need to worry! Grab a bottle of nutmeg. Alternatively, you could use allspice, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, or extra cinnamon.
Reddit-Famous Secret Scotch “Murder Cookies” Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup shortening
- 1/2 cup molasses
- 1 egg
- 3 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground mace
- 1/4 cup milk
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet with canola oil spray. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg.
- Place a sieve over the large bowl. Pour the all-purpose flour into the sieve and sift. Add the salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ground mace, along with the milk. Stir to combine.
- Drop the cookie batter by the tablespoon onto the greased cookie sheet. Next, lightly flour the back of a drinking glass and use the glass to press each cookie flat gently.
- Bake each batch of cookies for 12-14 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. Enjoy.