The Joe Frogger deserves wider recognition, full stop. It’s a historical American cookie made with pantry staples and features a molasses base spiced with cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom. It’s firm and cakey but not crumbly, and more spicy than sweet. Easy to prepare and vegan, it’s also adaptable for gluten-free diets. And, important for many of us baking right now, it has a long shelf life, making it an ideal holiday gift.
This is a cookie created in Massachusetts, according to a history at the Smithsonian Institution Libraries — so at least some scholarly sleuthing has gone into this recipe’s origins. It hails from 18th-century Marblehead, where it was popularized by tavern owners Joseph Brown and his wife, Lucretia Thomas Brown. Sailors and fishermen appreciated the cookies for their ability to stay fresh during long sea voyages — likely thanks to the recipe’s rum (and by some accounts, seawater used in the original).
Joseph Brown’s mother was African American and his father a member of the Wampanoag Tribe of Martha’s Vineyard. He was born in Rhode Island into slavery and was freed after serving in the Revolutionary War. Lucretia was the daughter of formerly enslaved parents. Together, they ran Black Joe’s Tavern in Marblehead, a notable gathering place for people of all races and genders.
“Unlike its present incarnation as a wealthy enclave and yachting center,” says the Smithsonian history, “Marblehead was once a rough and tumble seaport … known for its particularly tough breed of sailor.” Here, people “marginalized in the Puritan society would gather at the integrated ‘Black Joe’s’ tavern for drinking, dancing and gambling.”
The Browns’ perseverance and business acumen allowed them to succeed in a society with limited options for people of color. The Joe Frogger cookie played a key role in their success, helping to sustain their business and community involvement. The couple’s legacy is commemorated in Marblehead, where a school is named in their honor.
Despite the Joe Frogger’s merits and interesting backstory, it remains a niche cookie. In the era of Paul Hollywood and #baketok, the old-fashioned, unadorned Joe Frogger isn’t exactly “Instagrammable content.” (I hate typing those words as much as you hate reading them.) But I hope they’ll be invited to your cookie swap once you try this recipe. It’s a very close copy of the one that exists on the Marblehead town website, but I’ve expanded the instructions to make them easier to follow.
In my testing, I used unsulphured molasses, or you could substitute light molasses. I don’t recommend using sulphured, dark, or blackstrap molasses unless you really enjoy the deep, bitter taste. Between the molasses, brown sugar, and rum, there are three sources of molasses here, so I found light brown sugar to be fine. If you don’t want to use rum, just substitute rum extract.
The original Joe Froggers were very big — several inches across. I wanted something more manageable, so I used a 2½-inch cookie cutter, which yielded around 26 cookies, two half-sheet baking pans’ worth.
Because the cookies are brown, you’re going to have a hard time telling when they are done. I pulled mine out at 14 minutes. Look for crackliness on the tops — that’s as good a sign as any.
I usually make my Joe Froggers using regular all-purpose flour, but for this article, I also made a batch with Pillsbury gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. It worked very well, though like many GF flours, it made for a thirstier dough, so I had to add around six additional tablespoons of water. Gluten-free cookies will be a bit denser and drier, so roll out the dough slightly thinner than the quarter inch — otherwise, your cookies may be gluey. Lastly, gluten-free cookies will look different when baked. They won’t have the crackliness as a giveaway, so I suggest just taking them out after 14 minutes or so.
JOE FROGGERS
About 2 dozen cookies, depending on size
3½ cups flour
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1½ tsp. ground ginger
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. grated nutmeg
¼ tsp. allspice
½ cup vegetable shortening
1 cup molasses
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup hot water
2 Tbsp. dark rum
- Mix flour, salt, baking soda, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl and set aside. In a large bowl, beat together the shortening, molasses, and brown sugar. In a measuring cup or small bowl, combine the hot water and rum.
- Alternating about a third at a time, add the dry ingredients and the water-rum mixture to the sugar-molasses mixture. It will just form a consistent dough. If yours is still shaggy, add a tablespoon of water at a time until it reaches a semi-shiny
- Roll out the dough between sheets of waxed paper until it’s ¼ inch thick. Refrigerate the dough for at least two hours, but overnight is better.
- Preheat oven to 375° F. Grease two baking sheets or line them with parchment. Cut the dough with a cookie cutter: they won’t spread much at all, so the size you cut will be the size of the cookie.
- Bake for 12-15 minutes for 2- to 3-inch cookies, longer for larger ones. The cookies are done when they are dark around the edges and firm in the centers. Remove from oven and set the cookie sheets on a rack to cool for five minutes, then remove cookies to a rack to cool completely.
