More venerable than those newcomers, Toll House (chocolate chip) cookies (which, after all, are only about 65 years old), molasses cookies come in two basic varieties: chewy and crunchy. We'll give a formula for each, and you can do your own taste test and then come down on one side or the other of a debate that's been raging here in New England for centuries, namely, which molasses cookie is better - hard or soft? The addition of rum to these spicy cookies helps keep them soft, and also qualifies them for a special name: Joe Froggers. Legend has it that an old man named Joe, who lived by a frog pond in Marblehead, Massachusetts, was famous for his chewy molasses cookies. One day, in thanks to a neighbor for the gift of a jug of rum, he added some of that spirit to a batch of his molasses cookie dough, then gave the cookies to the generous neighbor. Eureka. A rum-laced molasses cookie that quickly earned a great reputation around town and was christened with the name of its creator. To keep these cookies soft, we recommend storing them in an airtight container (a plastic bag is fine) as soon as they're just barely warm. Add a couple of slices of cut apple if you plan on keeping them around long.