Dottie’s Chocolate Jumbles Cookies
Dottie's Chocolate Jumbles Cookies
A CORK, FORK, & PASSPORT
An upstate New York favorite from A Cork, Fork, & Passport https://acorkforkandpassport.com
Ingredients
- 1 c. Shortening
- 1 c. Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 1 c. Molasses
- 1/2 c. Hot Water or Coffee
- 1 c. Cocoa
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 2 tsp. Baking Soda
- 1 tsp. Cinnamon
- 1 tsp. Ginger
- 1 tsp. Ground Clove
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 4 1/2 c. Flour
- Royal Icing
- 3 c. Confectioners’ Sugar
- 1/2 c. Butter, softened
- 1/8 tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 3-4 Tbsp. Milk
Instructions
Mix shortening, sugar, and eggs together. Mix in molasses until
blended. Add hot water, cocoa, and vanilla and stir until combined.
Mix the remaining dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, and slowly add to
the molasses mixture. The dough will become stiff but make certain all
the dry ingredients are thoroughly blended together. Cover the bowl with
plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for a few hours.
Separate the dough into four balls and set three of the balls back in the bowl and in
the refrigerator. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out the first ball with a rolling pin until it
is about 3/4 inch thick. Using a donut cutter, cut the dough into rounds. Using a smaller biscuit cutter or apple corer, cut out the center of each round, so the cookie dough resembles a donut. Place the cookie rounds on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on a cooling rack.
Royal Icing
Mix the sugar and butter together. Add the salt and vanilla and blend.
Add the milk, starting with 2-3 Tbsp, and add more as needed to thin out the
icing. Be careful you do not thin it too much, but if you do, add a pinch
more confectioners’ sugar. Spread the icing over each cookie and
allow to harden before eating.
To make them extra festive, decorate the cookies with colored icing and sprinkles.
Notes
Some people use hot water in their cookies, some use hot coffee. We like the flavor of hot coffee.
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Nutrition Information
Yield
36Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 239Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 4gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 21mgSodium 176mgCarbohydrates 37gFiber 1gSugar 23gProtein 3g
All nutrition information is approximate.
Key Ingredients & Healthy Substitutions
Note: I received a message from someone stating that this Chocolate Jumbles recipe was a “secret family recipe” and did not wish me to share it. In fact, they became rather rude and threatening. I want to make it very clear, this is not a stolen secret family recipe. I am sorry that the family does not wish to share their recipe with others, as cookies by their very nature are meant to be shared, but I have violated no copyright laws in sharing this with you since recipes are not subject to copyright law. I have also made it very clear that this is a recipe from a family friend, who got the recipe from her grandmother.
Because of the message I received, I took the extra step of verifying the history of this cookie. It is, in fact, a well-known recipe in the Schoharie and Mohawk Valley regions, with several variations. In researching the history of Chocolate Jumbles, I discovered that it is an old 17th-century recipe from Germany, similar to a lebkuchen, brought over by German immigrants.
Upstate New York families have been making this cookie for over 200 years. While it may be a “secret” family recipe for some, there is no way to claim ownership for such an old and beloved recipe. In keeping with Dottie’s kind and generous spirit of giving, I will continue to share this recipe with the hope that others can enjoy these wonderful little Chocolate Jumbles cookies with their family too.
Looking for other upstate New York favorites?
- Brooks/Cornell BBQ chicken
- Utica Tomato Pie
- Cinnamon Apple Cobbler is made with fresh New York apples
81 comments
Thank you! Thank you Julie! What a delight to discover your post and recipe!
21 years ago I married Kenny Ruland of Cobleskill, NY. One my first memories of those early days was the magic of those Schoharie Chocolate Jumbles!
Unfortunately, as you revealed, getting the recipe pried out of the hands of the natives was a challenge. Your generosity and thoughtfulness brought a smile to my face!
As I write this note, I am baking them right up for my daughter Rose’s graduation party tomorrow. 2 daughters down, 2 more daughters to go! We now live in Corning NY but the Schoharie County clan are headed this way. Boy are they in for a surprise!
PS – I read your post to my husband and he smiled. He immediately knew your name and started naming off all your relatives. He sends a special Hello and Thank you!
Sincerely,
Jenny Salley Ruland
Thank you so much Jenny! We live in AZ now but are heading back to NY next week! I will mention your husband to mine and see if he knows his family! Your husband probably knows Dottie too! 🙂 I hope you enjoy them! We also the cookies from the Carrot Barn!
OMG I’ve been craving these cookies for years. As a Coby native I had NO idea these were regional until I transplanted first to AZ and then to Philly. I’m actually using them as one of my cookie swap contributions this year. No lie, I now can go Christmas shopping and finally decorate with 10 days to spare.
Jenn L. S.
I’m so glad Jenn, thank you! Maybe you know my husband?
Thank you for posting this recipe! We used to buy the Chocolate Jumbles or the Half and Half cookies in Sammonsville at Wemple and Edick’s. Gosh I miss that place, their homemade jumbles and their homemade ice cream.
Thank you Melissa! I love half and half cookies, and there is no place to get them out here in AZ!
These cookies are demanded by my adult children and 20 something grand-kids at Christmas (although I make them prior to T’giving and dole them out tthen) the recipe was given to me by my great grandmother in law Leona Lawton, Gloversville NY(Fulton county). She led me to believe it was a secret family recipe too! I have since entered it in many club and church cookbooks for all to share. The difference in the recipe I make from the one here is I use bakers chocolate squares and I cut with a donut cutter, making them uniform. This is the best thing I make (according to my kids) and will probably be the one big think they remember me for! Oh,……NO ginger is in this recipe (as noted in the blurb, but not in the ingredients list). The main ingredients that make this an outstanding cookie is the molasses, the cinnamon and clove.
Thanks Sheila!
Thanks For Sharing this recipe!! My family has made these every year when I was growing up, and then my aunt lost her recipe. I grew up in Middleburgh and these are such a tradition. I looked for years for the actual recipe (being away from the area didn’t make things easy either) but had to come up with my own version which was actual pretty similar. This year I am gonna try this version though and see if my family notices the difference.
Thank Hannah! Hope the recipe is like what you grew up with!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I too had no idea these were a regional recipe. I grew up in Cobleskill/Berne NY and they were such a staple of my childhood that I assumed everyone had them! Sadly my grandmother passed away 10 years ago and the recipe was lost…or so I thought. I have lived in Arizona for awhile now and am so ecstatic to have this recipe again (just as a side note, our family ALWAYS made ours with strong black coffee instead of hot water). Thank you again!
Joni: Thank you for your kind words and for the recommendation on using coffee, I will try that! My husband grew up in Cobleskill too!
I was very excited to stumble on this recipe. It is very similar to mine. It was the cookie in the cookie jar when my grandfather was growing up in the early 1900’s. He was from Schoharie county NY. They became christmas cookies as I was growing up and would make them for my grandfather as a christmas present. We cut the traditional cookie with a donut cutter which gave the round circle with the hole in the middle. I always make plenty of them as well as other shapes at christmas. My daughter and I make them every year and ship them to relatives and friends around the country. I am a transplanted New Yorker living in AZ. Definitely my favorite!!!
Thank you Laura, happy holidays!
As a Schoharie resident since day one, these have always been a part of my life. The recipe varies from one person to another. For instance i use my grandmother’s recipe which doesn’t call for coffee. Also the taste will vary depending on what kind of molasses you use. I did two batches this year using two different molasses. One is very dark and has a stronger taste. Both are very good. The other difference in recipes is that mine says add flour with no given amount (gives an idea how old the recipe is) but after 40 plus years of making them I’ve figured that out. I have passed grandma’s recipe to my daughter and hopefully my grandkids will also make them someday.
Could not believe it when I saw “Dottie’s” recipe. What was best about it was that she did not share the recipe, she made the cookies and shared them at many events and occasions. Dottie shared them at the last ladies golf dinner at the Cobleskill Country Club. She made boxes full of them. If you grew up in Schoharie County it was likely that your grandmother or mother made them for many occasions. My father and brothers really loved (love) jumbles. Although I have always made lots of cookies at Christmas, once I was married I did not make them. My brothers are the ones that do now. Fond memories of Dottie, my mother and my dad with this post. Dad was known for falling asleep in his chair or on the house and we have a picture of a chocolate jumble wreathing his nose!
Thank you for sharing your memories, Connie! I met Dottie once when she came to deliver a box of her wonderful Jumbles to my mother-in-law before getting her hair done. Dottie was a lovely lady.
i I grew up not far from Schoharie, from Saint Johnsville, NY, and these were a staple in our house, especially during the holidays. My great aunt taught me to make these. Thank you for sharing with everyone. They all need to enjoy these wonderful cookies.
Thank you Sheryl! I need to make another batch for my husband! 🙂
Thank you for sharing. My Gram made them for our family reunions! I have the recipe but mine cone out hard. What am I doing wrong!
If they are coming out too hard, perhaps your oven runs hot and you need to take them out of the oven 2-3 minutes earlier than recommended in the recipe? The only other thing I can think of is if you work the dough too much, it can break down the molecules in the dough, making the cookie dough tough. The other thing you could try is pastry flour instead of all purpose flour. It has less protein, so the cookies will come out fluffier. Let me know if you make a new batch, how they turn out.
Just tried this recipe and Dottie would be proud, i think ( from my husband’s mouth he used to work at Cobleskill Country club 😉 ) these were great! Thank you so much for posting this recipe ! I also used coffee ( wasnt anything different then what we drink though – but it does “punch ” the flavor of the cocoa )
Thank you Natasha! My husband used to work there when he was in high school too!
thank you for recipe and they look delicious..how much do they make as far as dozen (s)?ty again
I make them big so only get about 24-30 out of one batch! Thanks for asking.
I stumbled upon your recipe through a Quora link and definitely would like to try these! I have a question about what to do with the little round pieces cut out from the center. Do you just add them to the next ball of dough? Also, what diameter biscuit cutter are you using? Thanks for posting this secret recipe! I love learning about the history of regional recipes.
Hi Heidi, and thank you! The extra pieces from the center I roll into a ball and roll back out with the rolling pin to use as much of the dough as possible. Also, I usually use the 3 1/4 in size biscuit cutter but you can use whatever size works for you. My husband likes big cookies! 🙂
In this blog, you mention these Chocolate Jumbles cookies are made with ginger, molasses, and cocoa in them, yet no ginger listed in ingredients not in directions. Can you clarify?
Thank you for bringing this to my attention! Another reader noticed this today too. There is ginger in it but at some point in time it got deleted by mistake, so I have added it back in.
I have a recipe that is similar to this one that was passed down several generations. Just an FYI if you use a donut cutter it’s must faster to cut out cookies.
Great tip, thank you Antonia!
Would love to print this recipe but no PRINT button!
Give me a few days and I will convert it so you can print it! ♥ I am actually enjoying fall in Schoharie County right now.
When my mother Lena (Rorick) Fox (1906-1962) of Gloversville, N.Y. was a young girl she would spend several weeks with her Rorick-Pickett relatives in the Schoharie valley. She started making a cook book of all the recipes she had seen the old timers make. Her people were German descendants and one of her recipes was for chocolate jumbos. I have it somewhere among my many recipes that I have collected over the past 75 years. I have known what chocolate Jumbos were since my childhood.
William, I have heard them called jumbos and jumbles!
Wow! So glad to find this recipe. Chocolate Jumbos are my husband’s favorite but no one in his family wrote the recipe down and none of them are left. Quick question. For shortening, do you use butter or Crisco? My husband says thanks! We are from Johnstown, NY.
Thank you, Judy! The original recipe calls for Crisco but I am sure you could substitute with butter, although the taste would be slightly different, as would the texture, they would be fine.
You forgot to mention that the cookie gets frosted on the flat side (underside). I grew up in Sharon Springs and live in Middleburgh these days. Chocolate Jumbles are my tradition for Christmas to share with my kids and grandkids.
Thanks Hollie!
Hi Julie,
Should the it be powdered ginger or freshly grated ginger ?
Has anyone tried this using the butter flavored Crisco?
I use powdered ginger but you could use fresh too, but I would use a bit less because the taste will be stronger. I have not tried it with butter-flavored Crisco.
Except for the addition of cocoa and frosting, this recipe is the same as the Cry Baby cookies my mother made every holiday. They were delicious, and I still make them for my family. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Cheryl! I have never heard them called Cry Baby Cookies. Are you from upstate NY?
Thank you so much! Grew up in Fonda NY with Chocolate Jumbles from the Fort Plain bakery. I moved to NYC and was surprised to discover they did not exist there – though I got to explore dozens of NY bakeries along the way. I also tried to re-create them myself and got results that were ‘almost’ I’m delighted to have the real thing!
Yay, thank you! I just made a batch a few weeks ago. ♥
I been living in Nevada almost 6 years now but I grew up and spent 27 years living in Schoharie County. It’s almost Christmas and I recently found out I’m pregnant and I had a suden craving for Chocolate Jumbles/Jumbos cookies. So not knowing the history of the cookies I decided to look up the recipe. The first recipe I chose to look at was this one and to my surprise it took me back home. Thank you for sharing the recipe and the history, I needed a taste of back home. Thank you!
Thank you so much for commenting Cheryl, I am glad you found this recipe. It brings happiness to so many people from Schoharie Valley. Good luck with your new little one!
Thanks for sharing! I, too, am from Coby & didn’t realize it was a regional treat . It’s pretty cool how far a recipe can travel & also bring people together.
What’s your hubby’s name if you dont mind sharing?
Jill, thank you for reaching out! Chocolate Jumbles always make my family happy! I do not feel comfortable sharing my husband’s first name but my last name should give you a clue, he still has family in the area. 🙂
Just went to an auction in Schoharie where the food purveyor was selling baked goods and the lady next to me raved about “Jumbo cookies” and how good they were, but how labor intensive they were to make. She complained that getting the frosting perfect was difficult. Anyway, they were selling them and I bought a package. What an interesting old fashioned tasting cookie! I’ve never had anything like it, and I’m so glad I tried it. Thank you so much Julie for posting the recipe. Definitely looking forward to trying the recipe.
Wonderful Ellen, thank you!
Dottie sadly passed away this year and reading some of these comments brought happiness to my soul. As Dottie’s best friend and granddaughter, I am extremely saddened that someone in my family would think that this was a “secret recipe”. My grandmother is not native to Schoharie County, she got this recipe from Agnes Scott. While everyone who received my grandmother’s version always said hers was the best, she never claimed she was the creator of the recipe and she honestly told everyone the recipe and when they called to say they didn’t taste the same, she would say, the secret ingredient was “TLC”. That is the truth, my grandmother loved to bake and she loved to spoil everyone around her. She would give platters to the Golf Course, Schools, Bus Drivers, Mailperson’s family, Neighbors, etc. she loved to make others happy and full. I can only imagine who reached out to you, but on behalf of Dottie and Shirley’s side of the family, we appreciate you, wholeheartedly for sharing this recipe with the world and for giving it my grandmother’s nickname.
Thank you so much for your wonderful message. I am sorry to hear about Dottie, I heard from a friend of hers a few months ago that she passed. I had the privilege of meeting Dottie a few times when she came to my mother-in-law’s house to drop off cookies and get her hair done, she was such a kind and funny person. So that you know, I have received more positive messages than negative messages about these cookies–people from Schoharie Valley who have moved away and were so happy to find this recipe and share it with their family and friends. One of Dottie’s friends has even introduced these cookies to her women’s group in Cape Cod! It is a privilege to keep Dottie’s version of these cookies for others to share and help keep her wonderful spirit of sharing alive. Thank you!
I had no idea these were so specifically local. So glad my family grew up in Dorloo (now incorporated in Cobleskill) so I could be eating these my whole life!!
Enjoy! I just made a batch for my husband the other day! ♥
My great-grandmother lived in West Fulton ( a small hamlet in the hills near Schoharie Valley) and would make huge batches of these every year for big family gatherings. They were always my favorite thing on the dessert table! I think my mother has a hand written recipe of hers, which we called Chocolate Jumbos. I now live in the UK so don’t have that piece of paper with me and thought I would google it. Can’t believe it is so regional, had no idea! Delighted to make them and donate to a local bake sale here in Scotland. Wonder what the local Scots will think of them!!
Tara: I am so grateful you were able to get this recipe and share this wonderful cookie with people in Scotland. Thank you for sharing your story, it is amazing how a recipe can bring people together from all over the world!
My great grandmother from Schoharie was Evelyn Angel Dievendorf Holt. She died in the 70’s at 104 years old. She was a wonder artist and an amazing woman who raised three daughters and ran a grain company in Tupper Lake when her husband died young of pneumonia. Everyone called her “Dot” because one of her grandchildren called her that when he was a baby. This is a variation of her wonderful recipe that is a legend in my family, as we endeavor every year to “get just right”. She claimed this recipe as her own, and… I believe her. I just made a batch and it is soooo close, but not exactly right. I’m getting old myself, but maybe someday…
Thank you for sharing your story, Wendy! This Dottie lived in the 1990’s so not the same Dot but I am sure there were similar recipes all over Schoharie County! ♥
Chocolate Jumbles have their very own Hungry for History historical marker thanks to the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and the Esperance Historical Society and Museum. We at the Pomeroy Foundation were thrilled to fund this marker for a wonderful sweet treat with a rich local heritage. Follow this link to find where the marker is located: https://www.wgpfoundation.org/historic-markers/chocolate-jumbles/
Thanks for sharing, Kathy. I do not usually allow outside professional links because my blog is a business for me but I will make an exception this time to share this. Happy holidays!
I grew up in the Mohawk Valley area and my mom always made these for church and other functions especially around the holidays. Not sure why they thought it is a secret family recipe. Anyway, I misplaced my recipe box last time I moved so thank you for sharing. You saved the day!
I am so glad this recipe helps you!! Happy holidays!
My family favorite Christmas cookies too!! My family was from Sprakers, New York. Wroble family and my recipe card has Grandma Staley and Corliss’s name on it. Corliss was my mom’s cousin. Hot coffee, molasses jar had a rabbit on it,(unable to find in stores), baker’s chocolate squares. Is what I remember. Also family favorite was popcorn balls made with molasses.
Wonderful, thank you for sharing your story, I love hearing all the family memories with this wonderful little cookie!
This recipe is the same that has been passed down from my great-grandmother (born in 1850 in Scotch Church NY) to her daughter, my grandmother. The Christmas Cookie array had to include these in my family. A favorite, for sure, but often not among the recipients of the gift. I guess it’s not sweet enough or too cakelike? The same is true for Lebkuchen. For sugar the recipe calls for brown sugar; dark brown would give the cookie a more robust flavor, but light brown is fine. We dissolve baking soda in 1 c. warm water and add with the other beaten eggs and vanilla. NO ginger! I frost with 10x sugar and light cream frosting. Frost on top side. Why someone would frost on underside is a mystery. We also decorated at Xmas with colored sugar and nonpareils. Called them Wreath Cookies. I just made a batch for the Glen, NY, 200 anniversary of its establishment for a Chocolate Jumbles Cookie contest. Didn’t win, but it was fun to participate.
How wonderful! I am a fan of lebkuchen when I go to Germany for the Christmas markets.
I have been searching for this recipe for over 50 years – first in cookbooks and in more recent decades, on the web. I only remembered that it was of German origin, huge, soft, and not too sweet. I grew up in Canajoharie NY and still remember perfectly my introduction to this cookie in kindergarten, back when moms contributed weekly. It was such a success with me that my mother became accutely jealous. Intent on wrangling the recipe out of someone, she finally found a stranger at the local market willing to trade with her. She was so triumphant the day she returned home with the recipe. Unfortunately, it was lost long long ago, but I think I feel as triumphant as she, at its rediscovery. Thank you so much!! Ps Did Dottie’s last name start with W?
Susan, I am so glad you found it! I am getting ready to make a big batch this weekend. Let me ask my father-in-law, I do not recall if Dottie’s last name started with a W. Her son commented a few years ago below.
Seem to have misplaced my recipe for these and while googling it came across yours. Originally from Fort Plain but recently moved to Florida after many years of being a snowbird! Love your recipe and will be using it here in our RV resort when we celebrate our NY Day! Could you please tell me approximately how many cookies does it make? Ty
Wonderful! Depending on how thin you roll out the dough and then recombine the leftover pieces to re-roll it, you should get 12-16 cookies out of one batch. Happy holidays!
Just made a batch of these today! They turned out great and we are going to use them for a cookie exchange… my family is originally from the area, and every time we visit, we love going to Wemple and Edick’s. These are a treat that our whole family enjoys!
P.S. We made one batch and it made 33 cookies
Wow, 33 cookies! Wonderful!
Thank you so much for shsring this recipe! I grew up in Fort Pkain, NY and every year my dad would take me to the bakery there to get fresh Chocolate Jumbles as my classroom birthday treat. Such special memories. As others have commented, I moved from the area and Chocolate Jumbles are nowhere to be found. Can’t wait to bake a batch of this wonderful cookie.
Cindy, thank you and happy holidays!
How lovely to find this cookie recipe! I had no idea this was so “special” because of it’s N.Y. state locale. I grew up in the Cobleskill/Sharon Springs area. I have my Grandmother’s Jumble recipe and made these every year at Christmas. This year, my daughter is taking on the task….and was not getting the ‘results’ she felt that I had, for all these years. So, she found this website and sent it on to me. My recipe has just slight changes from all I have seen…….and just reinforces that these were truly all family variations over the years. Thanks so much for each person’s notes.
Thank you Barbara, I truly enjoy reading everyone’s family history with this delightful little cookie. Happy holiday!
I love chocolate jumble cookies! I grew up in Tribes Hill, New York. Christmas wouldn’t be the same without these doughed pieces of wonder! Wemple and Edick’s is alive and well, if you upstate New Yorker’s have a need! I’m going to a pot luck dinner tonight, and am bringing a batch for dessert- in Arizona!
Deborah:
Thank you for your message. I am sure your fellow potluckers will be in heaven tonight! I lived in Arizona for 25 years but have moved back to upstate NY!
My husband’s grandma makes these every Christmas! I asked for the recipe a few times but never got it lol. Can the dough be frozen for later use?
Wonderful!! Yes, the dough can be frozen for later use! I usually cut out the cookies and freeze the cutouts.