Spritz Cookies

Cream:
     1 cup shortening

Gradually add:
     3/4 cup sugar

Add & beat well:
     1 egg or 3 egg yolks, unbeaten

Sift and add:
     2 1/4 cups flour
     1/2 teaspoon baking powder
     dash of salt
     1 teaspoon vanilla (or almond extract)

Fill a cookie press and press onto ungreased cookie sheet (unless a greased cookie sheet holds them better).  [We have no idea why but sometimes it works better one way and not the other.]

Place:
     maraschino cherries halves or thirds in the center of each cookie

Bake at 400^o for about 8 minutes, until set but not brown.   They'll brown quickly so once you figure out the time to bake them, take them out immediately.


Notes
We love the flower shapes with cherries in the center but any of the cookie press shapes will work.  Just be sure to adjust the time because some shapes bake more quickly than others.

--Nancy.

Gramma's Molasses Cookies

Mix & beat well:     
     3/4 shortening (melted, if desired)
     1 c. sugar
     1/4 c. molasses
     1 egg
Sift together, add to above mixture, and mix well:
     2 c. flour
     1/2 tsp. salt
     2 tsp. baking soda
     1 tsp. cinnamon
     1/2 tsp. cloves
     1/2 tsp. ginger
Chill dough.  Form into 1" balls and roll in sugar.
Bake on greased baking sheet at 350^o for about  ~7 minutes.

Notes:
It’s worth doubling this recipe if you like molasses cookies.

This recipe came from our grandmother, Emma (Bickerstaff) Meinzen.  I thought it was a recipe special to her but just recently I realized it's a really common recipe, found on the backs of some jars of molasses!

--Nancy