That’s a challenging recipe!

August 24, 2016

Goode Huswife’s Jewel, published for the English middle class by Thomas Dawson in 1596, included this early cookie recipe:

Take fine flowre and good Damaske water you must have no other liqeur but  that, then take sweet butter, two or three yolkes of eggs and a good quantity of Suger, and a few cloves, and mace, as your Cookes mouth shall serve him, and a lyttle saffron, and a little Gods good about a spoonful if you put in too much they shall arise, cutte them in squares lyke unto trenchers, and pricke them well, and let your oven be well swept and lay them uppon papers and so set them into the oven. Do not burne them if they be three or foure days olde they bee the better.

Now if someone can follow that and make something edible we’ll be impressed. Wouldn’t it be easier to just order ours?