Martha Washington's Shrewsbury Cakes

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Shrewsbury Cakes

Having survived yet another week in the cube farm I opted to spend my Friday and Saturday evenings being social. This has lead to a very screwed up sleep cycle.

Things That Have Happened Due To My Messed Up REM:

1. While walking home one morning at 130am I was mildly shocked to have a golf cart whiz by at a good speed on main street with two young women in the back seat yelling, “Oh heeeeey Benjamin.” I have no idea who they were.

2. It is quite possible that a group of young adults and one senior citizen had a conversation over brunch about sharting. Yes, sharting. It was determined by the group as a whole that if one sharts alone it is rather embarrassing. However, if one sharts in the presence of a loved one, say a boyfriend or girlfriend, the shart is to be deemed hilarious.

3. While downing beers, watching football, and eating what I feel to be the saddest BBQ pulled chicken sandwich ever I was pleased to learn that my own inquiry of “presidential cookies” on Google returned with a list of the favored cookies by all previous FLOTUS (or is is FLOTI because it’s plural?).

HIllary had her Clinton Chip’s. Barbara had her Cowboy Cookies. Mary Todd had her Sugar Cookies. Eleanor, her Honey Drops. And now Melania with her Sour Cream Sugar Cookies in the shape of stars. Let’s just assume that last recipe was handed down from the Old Country. 

However, this week we are going back to the OG FLOTUS herself, Martha Washington. Known around the swamp and Lady Washington, Miss Martha was quite the hostess. And among her arsenal of revolutionary treats were the delicious Shrewsbury Cakes shown above. 

More of a biscuit than cookie (or cake as it is named), this cookie was perfected in a time when sugar was not readily available. The Shrewsbury Cake is pretty tasty and I feel would hold up well when smuggled across the Potomac in the dead of night. Or eaten raw while horizontal on your sofa praying the next fart is simply just that and nothing more. 

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Shrewsbury Cakes

RECIPE FROM MARTHA WASHINGTON

INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup soft butter (one stick)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 egg beaten

2 tablespoons milk

2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour

1 cup dried fruit (cherries, apricots, or currants), chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cream butter with sugar, then add vanilla, salt, egg, and milk. Blend well. Add flour. Mix in dried fruit.

3. Chill dough for about one hour.

4. Use a small cookie scoop to form small rounds. Place the rounds on a greased cookie sheet and bake for about 12 minutes.

5. Cool on a rack. Recipe yields three dozen cakes.

P.S. Seeing that the dough was a little stiff I opted to go the old fashioned route of flattening the dough with the back of a recently used lowball glass. Then rolled them in disco sugar for some FLOTUS Fun.

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FOR MORE COOKIE BASED FUN CHECK OUT THESE POSTS FROM MY PAST!

SMACK, TOFFEE COOKIES, AND THE (DIA)BETES

THE DAMN MONTH OF PUMPKIN

DARK BROWN SUGAR COOKIES

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