Hoopskirts

I thought I would try another cookie this week.  I was drawn to this recipe because it had sugar sprinkled on top, which seems like a very contemporary touch.  Because there is no flavoring extract, the cookie flavor is delicate, tasting primarily of butter and sugar. The Recipe This recipe comes from The Genesee Farmer , Vol XX, February 1859. The Ingredients The first ingredients on the list are pretty straight forward - a cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 4 eggs.  I set the butter and eggs out to come to room temperature. The sour milk - per standard substitution, I made my own sour milk.  I measured 1  2/3 T of milk into a glass and added 1 t of lemon juice.  I stirred the milk and lemon juice together and let them sit for roughly 5 minutes.   Saleratus is a leavening agent that both precedes and is concurrent with baking soda. I used a 1 to 1 substitution and used 1 t of baking soda. Flour.  You will notice there is no flour listed in the recipe.  F

Ginger was one of the most popular flavors for baked goods in the 19-century. Recipes for gingerbread and ginger cookies abound.  This recipe for "No. 1 Ginger Snaps" is a lovely example. The Recipe Add caption This recipe comes from  The Practical Cookbook , by Mrs. Bliss (Philadelphia, 1860),  The recipe is titled "Number 1" simply because it is immediately followed by Number 2 Ginger Snaps, Sources and Differences The Southern Gardener and Receipt Boo k, third edition, by Mrs. Mary L. Edgeworth (Philadelphia, 1860) provides an identical recipe, instructing the baker to add "enough flour to make a soft dough."  The New Family Book or Ladies' Indispensable Companion and Housekeepers' Guide  (New York, 1854) and The Improved Housewife  (Hartford, Conn, 1844) also include the recipe, but with a significant difference - the instructions are "to add as much flour as can be rolled into the mixture."  The amount of