Molasses and ginger give this sample its identity. The source starts by combining soda with only part of the flour, then adds more gradually to reach a rollable dough.
Ingredients from the selected recipe
- 1 cup fat
- 1 cup molasses
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon ginger
- 3 tablespoons sour milk
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- About 4½ cups flour
Method
- Cream the fat, then add sugar and molasses, followed by salt, ginger, and milk.
- Sift 2 cups of flour with soda and mix in.
- Gradually add enough more flour to make dough that can be rolled.
- Roll very thin, cut in any shape, and bake about 10 minutes at 400°F.
Modern reading and kitchen notes
Use sound cultured or deliberately acidified milk, not spoiled milk. Fat type and cutting size are unspecified and can influence spread. Very thin cookies may brown quickly, so pay attention rather than treating ten minutes as a guarantee. Raw flour still makes tasting the dough unsafe even though no egg is listed.
Before you begin
Read the complete method and prepare suitable equipment before mixing. Keep any adaptation separate from the source instructions. Missing yields, pan sizes, or times are not silently filled with invented values. Use current food-safety guidance rather than assuming every historical kitchen habit is appropriate today.
Source and safety references
The edition names Nell B. Nichols’s The Farm Cook and Rule Book (1923). Its source and restoration notes are included in the complete book. This preview does not provide the paid PDF or any additional book recipes.
FDA: Handling Flour Safely · FoodSafety.gov: Safe Minimum Internal Temperatures · USDA: Leftovers and Food Safety