Tag Archives: molasses

Desserts and Sweets

Our Dad’s Cookies

I have no idea if these cookies were based on the oatmeal cookies from Dad’s Cookie Company out of St. Louis that started making them shortly after the turn of the 20th C. All I know is that Mom used to make them regularly, and they do contain rolled oats.

Ingredients for our Dad’s cookies

  • 1 cup butter or margarine
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • 1 cup coconut
  • 1 t baking soda
  • 1 t baking powder
  • 1 T molasses
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t vanilla
  • 1/2 t each allspice and nutmeg

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Sift all dry ingredients together. Work in the butter and sugar mix and form balls. Do not press. Bake at 325 F for 12 minutes.

Dad's cookies
Paper batik, Carol
Breads and Pancakes

Oatmeal bread

  • 1-1/2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/2 stick unsalted butter
  • 1 T salt
  • 2 pkg. active dry yeast
  • 2 T sugar
  • 2/3 cup unsulfured molasses
  • 8-9 cups all-purpose flour

Combine oats, butter salt and 3 cups boiling water. Let mixture cool to lukewarm. In a small bowl let the yeast, 2 T lukewarm water, and sugar sit for 15 minutes or till foamy. Stir this into the oats mixture, add the molasses and 8 cups flour, or enough to make a stiff dough.

Knead for 2 minutes, put in a well-buttered large bowl, and turn it to coat. Let dough rise, covered, for 1 hour or till doubled. Punch down and let rest for 5 minutes. Form the dough into 2 loaves and place in 2 buttered loaf pans. Let rise, covered, for 45 minutes. Bake in a preheated 350ºF oven for 50-60 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Desserts and Sweets

Dark Fruit Cake

This fruit cake has evolved over the years in Mexico to suit the ingredients readily available here. Some years, I can find only raisins and dates and some dried tropical fruits. Often there’s no citron. The nuts are sometimes only a few lowly pecans and almonds supplemented with pumpkin and sunflower seeds.  But the recipe is very forgiving and will handle all sorts of substitutions and adjustments to suit ingredient availability.

  • 1 cup mixed dried fruits (apricots, papaya, peaches, mango), cut into small pieces
  • 1 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup raisins and 1/2 cup currants
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1/2 cup candied citron, cut, or other candied fruit
  • 4 oz. candied cherries, green and red, chopped
  • 1-1/2 cups chopped pecans, walnuts, almonds and/or hazelnuts
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 t baking soda
  • 1 t allspice
  • 1/2 t nutmeg
  • 1 t cinnamon
  • 1/2 t cloves
  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil
  • 3/4 brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/2 cup molasses (or honey)
  • 1/2 cup milk

Cover mixed dried fruits, already cut, with boiling water. Let stand 2 hours. Drain. Mix and set aside the rest of the fruits and nuts. Sift together the flour, baking soda and spices. Beat the shortening with sugar. Stir in eggs, honey and milk. Add flour mixture, fruits and nuts.

Line 2 large loaf pans with foil. Fill pans and bake 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours at 300F. Remove from oven and cool.

Sprinkle with rum and wrap in a layer of waxed paper and then in foil. Store in fridge or cool area and sprinkle once a week with rum. Best if made at least a month, and up to 3 months, before eating.

For a vegan version, simply substitute almond or soy milk for regular milk and 1 T ground flax seeds soaked in 3 T water for 15 minutes for each egg. Use coconut oil in place of regular vegetable oil in either version for an extra taste treat.