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| Rural Clarkston, Washington -- October 2016 |
I
commented to sister Harriet the other day that nothing much is happening in “real
time” and maybe I should post another old recipe.
Harriet
said: “I think old recipes are interesting. Grandma had one that came
from WWI, I think, that was a ginger cookie without sugar. I can’t
remember exactly what it had in it, but it was interesting. Maybe it was
a molasses cookie. She used to make them often when I stayed with
her in 1938-39. She said Grandpa taught her to make rolls, and she taught
me how to roll the dough into little balls. Grandpa was overseeing the
operation and making comments so I could get it to perfection. I don’t think I
have done it since.”
I
knew the recipe in question. I have it, written in our Grandmother Portfors’
hand, in my folder of recipes. (It’s possible I have posted this before.)
Mrs.
Portfors Ginger Cookes
8
c sifted flour
4
tsp soda
¼
tsp salt
1
tbsp ginger
1
tsp cinnamon
Sift
4 cups of the flour; add soda, salt, ginger, and spices. Sift together 3 times.
3
c molasses
1
½ c shortening (measured, then melted)
2/3
c boiling water
Combine
these 3 ingredients with 4 cups of flour, then mix thoroughly and add to above
mixture (the flour and spices).
Dough
must be chilled -- overnight is best. Either roll the dough or break off small
pieces and roll into rounds, then flatten with sugar-coated glass.
Grandma
Portfors concludes that her grandmother made these the size of her lunch pail and
put one on top of her lunch. "Wonderful cookies,” she says.
Harriet
had dated the recipe about World War I, but it is actually much older, coming
out of the mid-19th century, or even before. According to Grandma
Portfors, these cookies were made by her grandmother (Eliza Brophy
Stinson).
I’ve
never tried this recipe. It takes so much flour – and expensive molasses. And
it makes my arms ache to think of mixing it. It’s such a large recipe that I’m
not sure the bowl of my stand mixer would accommodate it. Maybe I’ll try half a
recipe someday.
My
dad’s family, the Dobsons, also had a molasses cookie recipe handed down
through the generations – much the same. They were my dad’s favorite and he
made them often. KW
I am surprised at how little salt and cinnamon there is relative to the amount of flower and soda.
ReplyDeleteYes, I wondered about the salt myself. Why bother to add 1/4 tsp salt to 8 cups of flour? I think the molasses and soda will take care of the salt.
ReplyDeleteI actually found another written copy of this recipe. I'm thinking of posting it, too, because it's more conversational and actually gives some pointers. It's nice to find Grandma Portfors somehow.