I Tried the Famous Murder Cookies and They’re Drop-Dead Delicious

If your ideal Friday night consists of watching true crime while eating a sweet treat, then these murder cookies are for you. And even if your weekends look nothing like that, you’ll still want to try them. These cookies have an intriguing backstory—and they are drop-dead delicious.

The Story Behind Murder Cookies

Back in 2020, a Redditor named u/NearKilroy wrote—in what would soon become a viral post—“Was looking into a murder that took place in my house and fell down a rabbit hole. Found out the neighbor at the time (1930’s) worked in a bakery and this was their “recipe of the year,” attaching a somewhat vague recipe for “Scotch Cookies.” Another Redditor wittingly renamed them “murder cookies,” and the internet ate them up. Literally.

The story is intriguing, sure, but I find the old-timey cookie irresistible. They’re kind of like a cross between a gingersnap and a slice of pumpkin pie—crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Interestingly, there is no ginger or pumpkin pie spice in the recipe. Instead, it calls for cinnamon and mace, which give them a familiar warmth, plus molasses that adds a slightly smoky, caramel flavor. 

How To Make Murder Cookies

The recipe was quick and quite easy to follow, that is, until I got to the part that reads, “Bake, but do not overbake.” I ended up figuring it out.

First, I creamed together the sugar, shortening, molasses, and egg. Then I sifted and added the dry ingredients—flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, and mace—alternating it with milk until I got a smooth consistency. Next, I used a small ice cream scooper to create small mounds and dropped them onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet before gently pressing them down with the bottom of a floured cup.

I had preheated the oven to 350°F, since that’s the temperature I bake most cookies at. While I checked them at 10 and 12 minutes, I ended up baking them for 14 minutes, until they were chewy on the inside and dark brown and crispy on the outside—the perfect texture, in my opinion.

Tips for Making Murder Cookies

• Shortening is best. Because these cookies should be soft and chewy on the inside, you want to avoid them from spreading too much while they bake, so shortening—like the recipe calls for—is the way to go. Still, give them about an inch of cooking space on all sides. Butter will give them a richer flavor, but they’ll be flatter and less tender.
• You can replace the mace with nutmeg. Mace is sourced from the lacy outer covering of the nutmeg seed. It’s more expensive and has a bit more of a spicy quality, which is what makes these cookies really stand out, but nutmeg works really well, too.
• Wet your cup. To make the flour stick to the bottom of the cup more easily, get it slightly damp. You can blow away any large pieces of flour that transfer to the cookie tops before baking. And don’t press down too much—they should be about one-quarter inch thick.