Nice Cookies that will keep Good Three Months
Recipe by:
Norfolk County Heritage and Culture
Source: Nothing More Comforting: Canada’s Heritage Food by Dorothy Duncan
Ingredients
- 9 cups flour
- 3-1/2 cups butter
- 5 cups sugar
- Large coffee cup of water with a heaping teaspoon of pearlash (substitute baking soda) dissolved in it
Rub your butter and sugar into the flour, (add) great teaspoon of caraway (seeds).
This old recipe does not give directions, but I have learned from experience that it should be mixed well, small amounts rolled into a ball and flattened very thin on a buttered cookie sheet with a fork, and baked in a moderate oven of 350°F for about 10 minutes or until golden brown. The flavour of the caraway is unmistakable in them.
NOTE: These cookies do indeed keep for three months as long as they are kept in a dry cool place. Pearlash or potash (potassium carbonate) is a combination of wood ash and water boiled until all the liquid has evapourated. It was used historically (1790s to 1840s) as a leavening agent in baking.
For more about War of 1812 Bicentennial activities, visit www.norfolktourism.ca/war-of-1812
Recipe republished in the 2012 Norfolk County Ontario’s Garden Recipe Book, available at Eat & Drink at FlavourFest, at the Norfolk County Fair & Horse Show, October 2-8, 2012.
