GINGERSNAP CAKES

 Gingersnap "Cakes"

1/4 cup pure, natural, dark molasses (unsulfured)

1/4 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter, at room temperature

1 1/2 tablespoons very cold water

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Combine the molasses, brown sugar, butter, and water in a large mixing bowl. Stir to blend with a spoon; don't use an electric mixer. In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir together well. It will make a very dry, stiff dough.

On a very lightly floured work surface, roll the dough out to about 1/4-inch thickness and cut out figures or cookies with a cookie cutter. Place them about 1 inch apart on an ungreased baking sheet.

Bake until the cookies are just firm to the touch and begin to color around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Do not overbake.

Makes about 1 dozen, depending on size of cookies.

"During the sugarcane season, Daddy often bartered with his farmer friends for raw sugar, cane syrup, or the dark, thick molasses from the sugar mills. We often made these little cakes. And later, when my daughter, Susan, was little, we made these for after-school treats. They are simple, but the molasses gives these a special taste that brings many good memories of when I was growing up."