Homemade rocks

Grandma couldn't cook. Overdone meat, mushy veggies and eggs sorta rubbery. She even gifted my mother a cookbook on her wedding day, and its inscription read

"To Marjorie, with the hopes she become a better cook than I"

But us kids saw it different. My sister and I still talk about the big slab of chocolate cake she'd put in front of us on a red flowered plate, the frosting dense with bitter chocolate and all washed down with a half a quart of milk so cold it froze your throat. Did I mention she made the cake with bacongrease?

But her masterpiece was Molasses cookies. And she made them in the big bowl in the top picture. Then she'd store them in a coffee can lined with wax paper. That can always seemed to be full of cookies. Chewey, gingery, and and big as baseballs.

So this morning I decided to throw out a batch of rocks. I've had the right molasses for weeks in the cupboard, it has to be Brer Rabbit because thats what she used. I am happy to trumpet the news I can still operate a mixer, follow a recipie and my spices are even reasonably fresh.

At the last minute, I decided to add extra raisins.

Here they are baked and stacked on a pedalstal cookie stand I made special just for today.

I only got sappy once while making these, the moment I took the first bite. The light-as-a-cloud texture, the cinnamon and dark molasses taste and I swore I could feel her standing in the kitchen with me. Its not really about the cookies, its about the love.
Pottery news: new pears in my shop tomorrow

Here's the cookie plate painted with a naturey theme. The base is made to look like a tree trunk.

Grandma's Molasses Cookies

One half cup shortening creamed with 1/2 Cup dark brown sugar

Add one beaten egg

3/4 C. dark molasses

1/4 C. boiling water. mix

dry ingredients

3 C. flour

1 t salt

1 t soda

1 t baking powder

2 t cinnamon

1 t ginger

1/2 t cloves

One cup raisins*

Mix to drop consistancy

Place on silpat well apart, they spread.

Bake 15 to 20 min at 350.

*I mixed black and yellow raisins and its very nice.

juliewhitmorepottery.etsy.com