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Rum, molasses, nutmeg and clove might sound like seasonal flavors this time of year, and they are, but they’re also the flavors of the Joe Frogger cookie, a regional delicacy that connects Gingerbread Hill in Marblehead all the way to the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.

We spoke with Lauren McCormack, executive director of the Marblehead Museum, and Kabria Baumgartner, dean’s associate professor of history and Africana studies at Northeastern University, to shed new light on the story of these cookies in 2022. We revisit the conversation as part of WBUR’s Field Guide to Boston.

On Joseph and Lucretia Brown, the creators of the Joe Frogger:

McCormack: “Joseph was essentially born as a slave in North Kingstown, Rhode Island, to a man named Beriah Brown. However, after serving his master’s son’s time in the Revolutionary War, Beriah allowed Joseph his much-deserved freedom. After obtaining freedom, which he earned from his loyalty during the war, Joseph relocated to Marblehead, Massachusetts. It is there that he met Lucretia, who was born either in Marblehead or Salem around 1773. They eventually tied the knot and bought a building on Gingerbread Hill in Marblehead for their tavern. The town of Marblehead famously remembers them for the marvelous cakes and gingerbread cookies, or Joe Froggers, that they once served in their tavern.”

Baumgartner: “The Brown’s tavern was said to be a favorite hotspot for sailors and other visitors in Marblehead. One intriguing event that took place in their tavern was the Black Election Day celebrations every May.”

“Despite being called Election Day, this event extended across a full week and was a jovial affair filled with dance and music. To paint a picture, one could imagine Joseph Brown playing the fiddle while the crowd around him enjoyed the rhythm. The Black Election Day holds historical significance as it was celebrated annually from the 18th century to the early 19th century. On this day, African Americans often elected their official representative. This history carries weight not only because it marks the beginning of African American entrepreneurship but also because it brings to light the significance of African American participation in the Black Election Day festivities. Therefore, the Brown’s story becomes a crucial part of North Shore’s, Boston’s, and Massachusetts’ history.”

On Lucretia Brown and her skills in entrepreneurship:

McCormack: “Sometimes she gets lost behind Joseph Brown for various reasons, but I love to talk about her because like you say she is a female entrepreneur in a time when that in and of itself amongst white and Black individuals is relatively rare. She’s known for picking roses all spring and summer long so that during the winter she can distill them into rose water and that was a pretty amazing. It’s very popular for perfume and also something you would use in food back in the mid 19th century. So she’s doing that. She is known far and wide for her wedding cakes and various types of cakes. It’s told decades later, people remember her. And if you wanted a wedding cake in the Marblehead, Salem area, you went to Lucretia Brown.”

“So she really did develop this amazing business and was such a part of the community that decades later, people who remembered her were writing about her in the newspapers and in the reminiscences. And just the fact that they gave so much to the community that years later people remembered that, and centuries later we still talk about them.”

On the Joe Frogger cookie:

Baumgartner: “The cookies preserved fairly well. So sailors were able to take them with them and keep them for a couple of months and they would have them at sea.”

McCormack: “They’re fabulous, right? A lot of people have said they’re sort of gingerbread in a cookie form. So you have that little crunch that you don’t always get with gingerbread. And like you said, they’ll last. And that’s what’s great. And what’s also interesting about them is that they’re made with rum and molasses. And those things are products that were produced by enslaved people. And so here you have two people touched by enslavement themselves in various ways who are known for this cookie.”

Baumgartner: “Yeah, I think it’s delicious. It’s a fairly large cookie, chewy, but still soft, and flavored with these spices. It was thought that Lucretia invented the recipe and she named the cookie after her husband, after Joe. So they have Joe Frogger’s cookies. But it is part of New England history. It’s part of African American food ways that we have this recipe and that we can now make a cookie like this.”

This recipe was provided through the Town of Marblehead website.

Ingredients:

Baking Instructions: