Beautiful lassies

When someone is in dire need of cheering up, I turn to my oldest recipes, and none are older or more dog-eared than the ones in my mother's cookbooks. And of those, the most stained pages all contain at least one favourite molasses beauty.
I'm not sure when molasses stopped being the go-to sweetener in Newfoundland and Labrador kitchens, and I realize it probably never was popular in most other parts of the world, but my baking cupboard is never without it, because as long as it's there, I've got the ingredients for comfort.

Mom's Soft Molasses Drop Cookies
Although my mother gets full credit for this recipe, I have to admit I've made a couple of changes. She uses margarine, but I find butter makes a difference here. If you use salted butter, then omit the extra salt, of course. I've also added nutmeg, allspice and cinnamon to the original recipe's ginger and cloves because I like these to have a little extra bite. One more thing: if you chill the dough, press it flat on a well-floured board, and cut out rounds, then bake them spaced fairly closely together so their edges square off just a bit. You will end up with the tenderest and most delicious lassie buns you can imagine. If you like raisins in your cookies, soak 1/2 cupful for 15 minutes in a little warm water or rum and drain well before adding with the dry ingredients. This recipe makes about 36 cookies.
1 cup melted unsalted butter
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 cup 2 per cent or whole milk, at room temperature
4 cups flour
2 tsp. each ground cloves and ginger
1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon and allspice
1/4 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
Melt butter until it just collapses - don't let it get steaming hot. If it is really warm, then let it cool before continuing. Cream butter and brown sugar together. Beat in molasses and egg. Whisk baking soda into milk and add to molasses mixture. Sift together flour, spices and salt and stir slowly into wet ingredients. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased or parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes, depending on the size. Don't overbake these - look for the tops to be dry and beginning to crack and the texture firm, but not hard.

Molasses Apple Upside-Down Cake
This cake is scrumptious and perfect for dessert on a cool fall evening. Apples go so well with molasses, I'm surprised we don't pair them up more often. Pick a tart variety for best flavour, because the molasses can be cloyingly sweet. The secret ingredient in this one is cardamom; if you don't have any, it's worth the trip to the store. Serve this with ice cream, chilled canned cream or lightly sweetened whipped cream for a richer offering.
Apple Base:
1/2 cup molasses
1/4 cup unsalted butter
6 large apples, peeled, cored and thinly sliced
Cake:
3 tbsp. soft unsalted butter
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. each ground cinnamon and ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/2 cup molasses
1/2 cup 2 per cent or whole milk
1 tsp. vanilla
Place molasses and butter in a deep-dish nine-inch square or round cake pan - high sides will prevent the nastiest oven spill you can imagine. Heat on top of the stove or in the oven just until the butter melts, then stir to combine. Spread the apples evenly on top. For the cake, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg. Sift together flour, soda, salt, and spices. Whisk together molasses, milk and vanilla - don't worry, it will come together with a few minutes of stirring. Starting and ending with dry ingredients, add flour mixture alternately with molasses mixture to creamed butter and sugar, mixing well after each addition. Pour over apples and bake at 350 F for 45 minutes or until a tester in the middle of the cake comes out clean.

Molasses Oatmeal Cookies
Good oatmeal cookies usually have brown sugar in them, so you won't be surprised to find out that upping the molasses component intensifies the flavour. These are fabulous with a cup of tea, especially reheated for a few seconds in the microwave. Make them large or small, as you prefer, but this recipe delivers about 24 medium-sized cookies.
1 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. each baking soda and salt
1/2 tsp. each ground cinnamon, cloves and freshly ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
2-1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats, preferably large-cut
1/2 cup raisins
2 tbsp. hot water
1/3 cup each unsalted butter and shortening, melted
3/4 cup molasses
1 tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, lightly beaten
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, soda, salt and spices. Stir in rolled oats. Soak raisins for 10 minutes in hot water; drain thoroughly and discard water. Add raisins to rolled oat mixture. Whisk together butter, shortening, molasses, milk, vanilla and egg and add all at once to dry ingredients. Stir to combine, then drop by tablespoonfuls onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes or until edges start to colour and cookies are firm to the touch. Cooking time depends on how big you make these, so pay attention toward the end of the baking.

Cynthia Stone is a writer, editor and teacher in St. John's. Questions may be sent to her c/o The Telegram, P.O. Box 5970, St. John's, NL, A1C 5X7.