off.

Cut thin, and baked brown in a quick oven, these make a good plain cooky.

GINGER SNAPS.

One cup of butter and lard or dripping mixed, or dripping alone can be
used; one cup of molasses; one cup of brown sugar; two teaspoonfuls of
ginger, and one each of clove, allspice, and mace; one teaspoonful of
salt, and one of soda dissolved in half a cup of hot water; one egg.

Stir together the shortening, sugar, molasses, and spice. Add the soda,
and then sifted flour enough to make a dough,--about three pints. Turn on
to the board, and knead well. Take about quarter of it, and roll out thin
as a knife-blade. Bake in a quick oven. They will bake in five minutes,
and will keep for months. By using only four cups of flour, this can be
baked in a loaf as spiced gingerbread; or it can be rolled half an inch
thick, and baked as a cooky. In this, as in all cakes, experience will
teach you many variations.

PLAIN GINGERBREAD.

Two cups of molasses; one of sour milk; half a cup of lard or drippings;
four cups of flour; two teaspoonfuls of ginger, and one of cinnamon; half
a teaspoonful of salt; one egg, and a teaspoonful of soda.

Mix molasses and shortening; add the spice and egg, then the milk, and
last the flour, with soda sifted in it. Bake at once in a sheet about an
inch thick for half an hour. Try with a broom-straw. Good hot for lunch
with chocolate. A plain cooky is made by adding flour enough to roll out.
The egg may be omitted.

JUMBLES.

The richest jumbles are made from either the rule for Pound or Dover Cake,
with flour enough added to roll out. The Cup-Cake rule makes good but
plainer ones. Make rings, either by cutting in long strips and joining the
ends, or by using a large and small cutter. Sift sugar over the top, and
bake a delicate brown. By adding a large spoonful of yellow ginger, any of
these rules become hard sugar-gingerbread, and all will keep for a long
time.

DROP CAKES.

Any of the rules last mentioned become drop cakes by buttering muffin-tins
or tin sheets, and dropping a teaspoonful of these mixtures into them. If
on sheets, let them be two inches apart. Sift sugar over the top, and bake
in a quick oven. They are done as soon as brown.

CREAM CAKES.

One pint of boiling water in a saucepan. Melt in it a piece of butter the
size of an egg. Add half a teaspoonful of salt. While still boiling, stir
in one large cup of flour, and cook for three minutes. Take from the fire;