Mother Spell’s Gingersnaps

My grandmother, Mother Spell, was famous for her great cooking. One favorite at Christmas or anytime was her gingersnaps. They lasted a long time, so she often had some ready for when people dropped by.

Some time after she had passed away, my Mom got a call from one of her sisters. “Do you know Mother’s gingersnap recipe? Nobody else has it.”

Mom said, “Yeah, I have it.”

“How did you get it?”

“It’s in the Salem Baptist Church Cookbook.”

So from Mother Spell to Salem Baptist Church to my Mom to me and now to you, here is Mother Spell’s secret recipe for ginger snaps. 

Ingredients

• 1 cup oleo or butter (I use butter — Tech Farm)
• 1 cup dark brown sugar. [I recommend piloncillo sugar if your store has a good Mexican food section. It's real brown sugar. American “brown sugar” is actually refined white sugar with some molasses added for flavor  —  BRM.]
• 1 cup molasses (cane kind)
• 6 cups plain four
• 1 tsp. Ground ginger (I use more. I sometimes go to the health food store and buy candied ginger, cut it fine and stir into the dough.) 
• t tsp. Cinnamon (or more)
• 1 tsp. Of any other spice of your choice
• 1 tsp. Soda
• ½ cup hot water

Directions

1. Cream shortening and sugar. 
   
2. Add syrup.
3. Sift dry ingredients together
4. Add to mixture.
5. Dissolve soda in hot water, add. 
6. Made a stiff batter to roll easily. 
7. Divide in small enough pieces to roll thin. 
8. Flour your dough board well to keep your batter from sticking. 
9. When it is thin enough, sprinkle with granulated sugar, (I have used granulated brown sugar).
10.  Smooth off, then roll sugar in by pressing with rolling pen as you roll pin over dough. [[These should be very thin to make them crisp when done  —  BRM.]
11. Cut with knife [You can cut these in shapes, but usually they're cut in strips about 1" wide and 6" long.  —  BRM.] 
    
12. Bake at 350° on a cookie sheet until brown. Keep an eye on them for they burn quickly.

My mother’s recipe as copied from her Salem Baptist Church cook book published in 1988. Her name is Ella Spell. —  Vivian Magee.

— Ella Spell
— Vivian Magee

Source — Dinner on the Ground.
Salem Baptist Church. 1988.
Prepared by Bruce R. Magee
Louisiana Anthology
December 30, 2024

Stuffed Tomatoes

 

Ingredients

• 4 Large Tomatoes
• Parsley
• Onions
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 teaspoon of butter
• 3 tablespoons of corn
• 
  3 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

Directions

1. Take 4 large tomatoes cut top off and use the inside, chopped fine with parsley, onions, salt and pepper.
2. Mix with this, 1 teaspoonful of butter, 3 tablespoonsful of corn, 3 tablespoonsful of bread crumbs.
3. Then replace in tomato skins and bake.

Source — New Orleans Cookbook
Prepared by Hunter Clayton
Louisiana Anthology
April 16, 2024

Simple Tomato Soup

 

Ingredients

• One pint of tomatoes
• One pint of water
• Bayleaf
• 1/4 Teaspoon of celeary seed
• 2 Table spoons of butter and flout

Directions

1. Add to 1 pint of tomatoes, 1 pint of water, a bay leaf, 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed
2. Rub together 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 of flour, stir in the first mixture and cook for 5 minutes, strain, reheat and serve.

Source — New Orleans Cookbook
Prepared by Hunter Clayton
Louisiana Anthology
April 16, 2024

Candied Bacon

Ingredients

• Your choice of bacon
• Brown sugar or brown coconut sugar
• Tony Chacheres

Directions

1. Twist the bacon.
2. Sprinkle on some brown sugar and Tony’s.
3. Flip it over and sprinkle on more seasoning.
4. Bake it in the oven at 360 for 25 minutes.
5. After 15 minutes pull it out and flip the bacon, then stick it back in.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Alana McGee
Louisiana Anthology
July 16, 2019

Strawberry Cream

Ingredients

• 1 pint of milk
• Strawberries
• Spoonful of flour

Directions

1. Boil 1 pint of milk, well sweetened and moisten.
2. Add in a spoonful of flour to the hot milk.
3. Stir with a wooden spoon.
4. Crush up some strawberries and drain the juice in a cup.
5. Pour the juice of the crushed strawberries till the cream becomes a pretty color.
6. Strain the whole through a sieve.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Alana McGee
Louisiana Anthology
July 16, 2019

Cumberland Cake

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 lbs of flour.
• 1 lb of sugar
• 12 ounces of butter
• 10 eggs
• 1 glass of orange or lemon brandy
• A few cloves, mace, or nutmeg

Directions

1. Mix the flour and sugar together.
2. Melt the butter in a microwave for around 30 seconds.
3. Mix in the butter with flour and sugar.
4. Mix in the eggs, your choice of brandy, and spices.
5. Stir all ingredients.
6. Beat as a poundcake.
7. Bake in small tins.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Alana McGee
Louisiana Anthology
July 16, 2019

Potato Paste

Ingredients

• Potatoes
• Water
• 1 quart of flour

Directions

1. Boil mealy potatoes soft.
2. Rub the potatoes together through a sieve while hot.
3. Put them in a stew pan over the fire with as much water as needed to make a mush.
4. Sift 1 quart of flour in.
5. Make into paste.
6. Kneed it till very light.

Source — Creole Cookery Book
Prepared by Alana McGee
Louisiana Anthology
May 12, 2024