O”-a. aes Rein os A Sweet Way To Celebrate The Holidays—And 500 Years Of Good Taste (NAPSA)—This holiday season, ee | BF you can get a taste of history and create great desserts at the same time. Although molasses is very in with today’s health- and taste-conscious cooks, its history in America actually dates back to 1493 when Columbus brought it to the West Indies. Molasses became an important trade item between the Old and New Worlds. In fact, some historians say it was not the British tax on tea that precipi- tated the Revolutionary War but the Molasses Act of 1733 that imposed a heavy tax on the sweet stuff brought in from anywhere but British-held islands in the Caribbean. As the holidays become a more coveted timeto) spend with loved ones, why not baketraditional gingerbread cookies and other home- becamea delicious part of Ameri- home and take you back to warm memories of holidays past. Once that was settled, molasses can cooking. The savory sweetness of all natural molasses imparts moistness and a delicate caramel aroma to cookies, pies and brown breads, while adding iron, calcium and other nutrients. To savor the past and present of molasses for yourself, consider these recipes. Grandma’s Gingerbread (3 dozen) 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter or ' ' l 2 1 14 shortening cup sugar cup Grandma’s Molasses egg cups all-purpose flour tsp. baking soda tsp. salt 1 tsp. ginger 1 tsp. cinnamon '4 tsp. ground cloves Beat butter with sugar and molasses. Mix in egg. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture. Mix well. Chill in freezer 1 hour or in refrigera- made treats? The spicy, comforting aroma will waft through your decorate with raisins, chips or nuts, if desired. Bake 8-10 min- utes. Cool. Grandma’s Chocolate Pecan Pie (9-10 servings) 14 cups pecan halves 4 Tbsp. (% stick) butter 4 oz. chocolate chips od eggs 4 cup Grandma’s Molasses *4 cup light corn syrup 1 Tbsp. sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 14 tsp. salt Ready-madepiecrust, such as chocolate cookie In 350F oven, toast pecans on baking sheet for 4 minutes. Remove. Raise temp. to 375F. In small pan over low heat, stir butter and chocolate until melted, about 1 minute. In mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Blend in molasses, corn syrup, sugar, vanilla and salt. Stir in tor 2 hours. Heat oven to 350F. Roll out a portion of the dough 4-in. thick on lightly floured board. Chill remaining dough. chocolate mixture and then pecans. Spoon mixture into piecrust and bake until filling on greased baking sheets and ice cream. Cut with cookie cutter, place is set, 45-50 minutes. Cool and serve with whipped cream or Grandma’s Oatmeal Lace Cookies (6 dozen) 8 Tbsp. (1 stick) butter 4 cup milk ‘4 cup Grandma’s Molasses 1 tsp. vanilla 74 “4 ' 1% Cup sugar cup flour tsp. baking powder tsp. salt 1 cup regular or quick oats 1 cup nuts, finely chopped (optional) Preheat oven to 375F. Melt butter in saucepan. Remove from heat; stir in milk, molasses and vanilla. Sift together sugar, flour, baking powderandsalt. Blend into milk mixture. Stir in oats and nuts. Drop bylevel tea- spoonfuls 2 in. apart on greased cookie sheet. Bake 6 to 8 min- utes. Cool. TIP: Brown sugaris simply molasses added to white sugar, so in recipes calling for one cup brown sugar you can substitute one cup of gran- ulated sugar plus 12 cup molasses. For more recipes, log on to www.grandmasmolasses.com or call 1-866-454-8229.
