Shirley Plantation Ginger Snaps

[donna]

This is old recipe from Shirley plantation, a James River Plantation. It is quite hot but delcious.

Shirley Ginger Snaps

3 pounds flour
1 pound butter
1 pound sugar
1 pint molasses
1 teacup ginger
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon red pepper

Roll very thin, bake quickly.

From: "The James River Plantations Cookbook".

 

[kholland]

Shirley! you can't be serious. Sorry. My twisted mind kept sending me back to this post. Sounds good but define "bake quickly". Oops, I didn't see the Period mark. I guess until they are golden over a fire?

 

[donna]

Thanks for bringing the temperature up. I had posted Heirloom Weights and Measures Conversion Chart on July 16 in this Forum. However, it good for me to refer to it when post old recipes.

In chart I refer to bake quickly which is same as quick oven. It is 375 to 400 degrees F.

I love ginger snaps. These are some of the best.

 

[diane]

Those look very good! I was a little surprised to see red pepper as an ingredient. Just recently cooks have been discovering (re-discovering!) peppers in desserts. I make chili brownies which are warm but not hot, and a pal makes cranberry bars with chili in them. It's a strange thing - your mind isn't expecting what sneaks up on your mouth! Delicious!

 

[KenH]

a teacup of ginger sounds like a Ton! Until ou realize that's in 3 pounds of flour. I do like gingersnaps though.

 

[KenH]

The Aztec and Maya knew how good spicy chiles, chocolate and sugar are together a long time before Cortez and the boys showed up.

 

[diane]

Real Mexican hot chocolate has chili in it! Good stuff, too.

 

[pamc153PA]

My husband and I went to Shirley Plantation about five years ago, and it was a really neat place. I could see sitting on the banks of the James, in the shade of one of the huge old trees, munching these gingersnaps with some tea!

 

[donna]

Shirley is a beautiful place. We toured it and several others a long that road that goes along the James River. one we particularly liked was Sherwood Forest, President John Tyler's home.

One of the greatest plantations, at least to me, along the James River was Carter's Grove. I still can't believe Historic Williamsburg sold it. It was my favorite place to visit when we went to Williamsburg. I really loved it decorated for Christmas.

 

[diane]

Just a little note:

Shirley Plantation was the girlhood home of Robert E Lee's mother, Ann Hill Carter. At least seven of the signers of the Declaration of Independence were friends of the family and often visited. She and Henry 'Lighthorse Harry' Lee were married there. He was 17 years her senior, but she was quite in love. He may not have been a model husband and father, but she made sure her children heard nothing but good of him! Unfortunately she was never very well, suffering from narcolepsy and TB - the narcolepsy gave her a morbid fear of being buried alive and legend has it that she almost was once!

 

[donna]

Another great recipe. Thought bump as Shirley Plantation been mentioned.