2-2/3 C. all-purpose flour
1/3 C. whole wheat flour
1 TB. baking powder
1/2 C. milk
1/4 C. shortening
1/2 C. molasses
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. anise seeds
1 C. golden raisins
1 egg, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
granulated sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the flours and baking powder. In a separate bowl, blend together the shortening and brown sugar. Add in the molasses and vanilla. Beat in the egg yolk. Combine the flour and egg mixtures. Blend in the raisins and anise seed. Add milk to moisten until the consistency is somewhat akin to scone dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly, just until the dough hangs together well. Pat into a round, then pat the round out to 1/2-inch (1 cm-ish) thickness. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter --or-- use a pig-shaped cookie cutter. Place them on a greased baking sheet about a half-inch apart and brush the tops with the reserved egg white. Sprinkle them with generously with granulated sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until done. (They will rise somewhat and the sugar on top will brown.)
________
The difference between Grandmom and me (so I thought) was that I had a more adventurous and reckless nature. Grandmom doesn't go out of the house with the dryer still running. I still occasionally put things in the oven that are going to take a long time before I leave the house on purpose. I don't do so very often, because eventually I am overcome by the possibility of returning to my house to find it a smoking ruin. It's never happened, but you try driving home hoping your house hasn't recently been put out by the fire department and see how inclined you are to do it again. There you go. Some people, like Grandmom, could not even bear the possibility. I, on the other hand, eventually forget the possibility and live to tempt disaster once again. And so I thought that was the way things stood amongst us, until Grandmom told me about her other fiance. Yes, all this time I thought Grandpop was her first love. In my imagination it could have been taken right from a script for "The Donna Reed Show". But oh, no, I was wrong. She was about 20 years old, and she had been seeing this other boy from her high school since she was fourteen, so about six years. Eventually, they got engaged. And then, she and my Grandpop (who also went to the same school) both went to a party hosted by mutual friends. At some point during the party, Grandpop called out "WHO WANTS TO SIT ON MY LAP?!" And Grandmom decided that she wanted to. She told me that at that moment she knew that she loved that other guy "like a brother", and she broke it off to go out with Grandpop! So I guess I come by it naturally.
1/3 C. whole wheat flour
1 TB. baking powder
1/2 C. milk
1/4 C. shortening
1/2 C. molasses
2/3 C. brown sugar
1 tsp. anise seeds
1 C. golden raisins
1 egg, separated
1 tsp. vanilla
granulated sugar, for dusting
Preheat the oven to 350F. Combine the flours and baking powder. In a separate bowl, blend together the shortening and brown sugar. Add in the molasses and vanilla. Beat in the egg yolk. Combine the flour and egg mixtures. Blend in the raisins and anise seed. Add milk to moisten until the consistency is somewhat akin to scone dough. Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead briefly, just until the dough hangs together well. Pat into a round, then pat the round out to 1/2-inch (1 cm-ish) thickness. Cut into rounds with a biscuit cutter --or-- use a pig-shaped cookie cutter. Place them on a greased baking sheet about a half-inch apart and brush the tops with the reserved egg white. Sprinkle them with generously with granulated sugar. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until done. (They will rise somewhat and the sugar on top will brown.)
________
The difference between Grandmom and me (so I thought) was that I had a more adventurous and reckless nature. Grandmom doesn't go out of the house with the dryer still running. I still occasionally put things in the oven that are going to take a long time before I leave the house on purpose. I don't do so very often, because eventually I am overcome by the possibility of returning to my house to find it a smoking ruin. It's never happened, but you try driving home hoping your house hasn't recently been put out by the fire department and see how inclined you are to do it again. There you go. Some people, like Grandmom, could not even bear the possibility. I, on the other hand, eventually forget the possibility and live to tempt disaster once again. And so I thought that was the way things stood amongst us, until Grandmom told me about her other fiance. Yes, all this time I thought Grandpop was her first love. In my imagination it could have been taken right from a script for "The Donna Reed Show". But oh, no, I was wrong. She was about 20 years old, and she had been seeing this other boy from her high school since she was fourteen, so about six years. Eventually, they got engaged. And then, she and my Grandpop (who also went to the same school) both went to a party hosted by mutual friends. At some point during the party, Grandpop called out "WHO WANTS TO SIT ON MY LAP?!" And Grandmom decided that she wanted to. She told me that at that moment she knew that she loved that other guy "like a brother", and she broke it off to go out with Grandpop! So I guess I come by it naturally.
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