Cream the sugar and shortening, as for cake, then add eggs well beaten, molasses and water, spices and soda, then flour, and lastly fruit. When the batter will take up no more flour, lift it up by teaspoonfuls, pat it flat and in shape in the baking pan, which must be well-buttered, put in bag, and bake in fairly hot oven, being careful not to scorch.
This will be found much easier than rolling the dough on a board, and will make about forty cookies.
=Mrs. Godfrey's Soft Gingerbread.=--In a symposium on gingerbreads held one Summer afternoon at Sunapee Inn, New Hampshire, this was given as an example of a most delicate inexpensive cake. Add to one cupful molasses, one cupful softened butter or lard, filling up the cup in which it is measured with boiling water. Add two even teaspoonfuls soda, a small teaspoonful of ginger, a pinch of salt, one beaten egg, and two heaping cupfuls sifted flour. Beat lightly (not too much lest it make the ginger bread light colored), put in bag and bake in a moderate oven.
=Good Friday Cake.=--This is a simple tea cake, not very sweet, and is served hot or cold as preferred. To make it, beat to a cream a scant cupful of butter and a quarter cupful of sugar. Add a teaspoonful of the grated yellow rind of lemon, a half teaspoonful of lemon juice, a pound of flour and enough water to make a stiff paste. Divide the dough into two equal parts and roll into large, round cakes about the size of an ordinary pie tin. Mark the edges with a "jigger" into some fancy design, or simply pinch with the fingers. Cut each cake into quarters, brush over with the white of an egg, lay a strip of candied lemon peel on each, sprinkle with granulated sugar put in bag, and bake.
=German Honey Cakes.=--These are fine for luncheon or the kaffee klatch. Put into a saucepan two cupfuls strained honey and one cupful sugar. Warm, add a cupful of butter and a half tablespoonful soda dissolved in a little warm water. Add a half cupful caraway seed and flour to roll. Roll into a rather thick sheet, mark into squares, put in bag, and bake. When done cut in small cakes.
=Pecan Kisses.=--Into the whites of six eggs put fourteen little more than level tablespoonfuls white sugar and beat long and thoroughly until stiff enough to stand alone. Have ready a small cup pecan kernels having them in as perfect halves as possible. Beat in lightly, drop in greased baking sheet, put in bag. Seal and bake in a moderate oven.