Joe Froggers
A molasses-and-rum cookie from Marblehead, designed to last weeks at sea. The recipe is family. The history is real. Most modern versions get the rum wrong.
Joe Froggers are a classic New England favorite — a molasses, spice, and rum cookie that dates back to Colonial New England. According to Marblehead history, the cookies were originally baked by a man known as Old Black Joe Brown and an Aunt Crese, who maintained a tavern on Gingerbread Hill. Since Joe Frogger cookies would keep for such long periods of time, fishermen would take barrels of them along on their journeys.
The recipe below is the family one. The rum is non-negotiable.
Ingredients
- 7 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 Tbsp ginger
- 1 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp nutmeg
- ½ tsp allspice
- ¾ cup hot water
- ½ cup dark rum
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 2 cups dark molasses
- 1 cup shortening
- 2 cups sugar
Directions
- Sift the flour, salt, ginger, clove, nutmeg, and allspice together.
- Combine the hot water and rum.
- Combine the baking soda and molasses.
- Cream the shortening and sugar with a mixer.
- Add the dry ingredients, the water/rum mixture, and the molasses mixture to the creamed mixture, half of each at a time.
- Chill the dough.
- Roll to ¼-inch thick and cut with a 4-inch cutter.
- Bake at 375°F for 10–12 minutes.
- Cool on the pan for two minutes before moving them. They keep for weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What makes Joe Froggers different from other molasses cookies? The rum. Most molasses cookies skip it or substitute water. Joe Froggers use dark rum dissolved into hot water, which is part of why they stayed edible for weeks at sea — and why modern versions that leave it out taste flat and dry out fast.
Can I substitute the shortening in Joe Froggers? You can use butter, but the texture changes. Shortening gives the cookie its characteristic dense, chewy crumb. Butter makes them spread more and crisp at the edges. The family recipe calls for shortening for a reason.
Why do Joe Froggers keep for weeks? Molasses is a natural preservative, and the rum helps. The original cookies were baked specifically to survive long fishing voyages out of Marblehead — a practical food, not a delicate one. Baked right and stored in a tin, they hold up.
Where does the name ‘Joe Frogger’ come from? From Old Black Joe Brown, who ran a tavern on Gingerbread Hill in Marblehead with Aunt Crese. The cookies were named after him. The ‘frogger’ part is less settled — some tie it to the frog pond near the tavern.