Sunday, March 29, 2009

Molasses Cookies from the Burrill Family after 1919

1 Cup molasses
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup lard
1/2 cup hot water
1 1/2 teaspoon soda
Cinnamon, ginger or vanilla(no measure)
salt(no measure)
mix together sa soft as you can handle.
cool

roll out and cut into squares

bake in a hot oven

You will have to watch these and take note of a light browning of an already brown batter. Best to do one or two of these in the first baking to test for time, doneness and temperature.

Before temperature guages or even ovens, the cookies were baked last in the day, the oven, slowing or cooling at the end of the baking day. An ovens temperature could just come from experience but often, one would thrust an arm into the oven and count the seconds before it bacame too difficult to keep it there. the number of seconds would give an idea of the temperature.

Here is a conversion table:

Common Temperatures and Conversions
Temperature Notes Fahrenheit Celsius
Very cool oven 225°-250° 107°-121°
Cool oven 275°-300° 135°-149°
Very moderate oven 325° 163°
Moderate oven 350°-375° 177°-191°
Moderately hot oven 400° 205°
Hot oven 425°-450° 218°-233°
Very hot oven 475° 246°

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