Great Great Grandmas Pioneer Trail Salt Cookies Recipes

GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL BISCUITS

Steps:

• 1. Place all dry ingredients into a large bowl. Cut in the lard, until mixture looks like meal. Stir in buttermilk. If dough is not pliable, add just enough buttermilk to make a soft, puffy dough that is easy to roll out. Knead dough on lightly floured board about one to two minutes or 25 to 30 times. Roll out dough to about 3/4 inch thick. Cut with floured biscuit cutter, or use a glass of the right size. Place on greased baking sheet. Bake in a 450 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes.
• 2. *** I don't use LARD. I use either Butter Flavored Crisco or Margarine. The Pioneers cooked them a bit differntly as there were no modern ovens on the trail... They made make-shift ovens that were sitting on coals of the campfire and more coals on top to get a hot oven effect. They also spent a lot of time baking as the ovens were small. They also sometimes made them in a skillet or a heavy pot with a lid (Dutch Oven)with coals under and about 12 - 15 on top.

GREAT GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL - SALT COOKIES

Steps:

• 1. Sift together flour, baking soda and salt. Set aside
• 2. Cream together the shortening, sugar, then add eggs and vanilla.
• 3. Slowly add the flour mixture to the shortening mixture, in small amounts at a time. Add nuts.
• 4. Form the dough into an oval shaped log. Wrap in wax paper. Refrigerate over night.
• 5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 6. Remove dough log from refrigerator and remove wax paper. Slice very thin. Place slices on a greased baking sheet. Bake for 10 -15 minutes.

GREAT-GRANDMA'S OATMEAL COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in water. In another bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add to creamed mixture, and mix well. Stir in oats, raisins and walnuts. , On a surface sprinkled with additional sugar, roll dough to 1/4-in. thickness. Cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. cookie cutter in desired shapes. Place 2 in. apart on greased baking sheets. Bake until set, 12-15 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool.

GREAT GREAT GRANDMA'S PIONEER TRAIL MILK SYRUP

Steps:

• In a saucepan, bring milk and sugar to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Keep boiling and stirring quickly to a boil that can't be stirred down.
• Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, vanilla and butter.
• Serve on waffles, french toast and pancakes. It is very delightful!
• *** Keep in mind... the milk back then was quite different from what we have today... You may want to use part cream. *** Sometimes we add cinnamon too.

GREAT GRANDMA'S SOUR CREAM DROP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Cream sugar, shortening, and butter together in the bowl of a stand mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
• Mix in sour cream and lemon zest on low speed until no streaks of sour cream remain. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing on medium-low just until there are no streaks of yolk, and scraping down the sides of the bowl between additions. Add flour, salt, baking soda, and baking powder all at once and mix just to combine.
• Drop by heaping tablespoons on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the tops are puffy and spring back when lightly touched with a finger, about 10 minutes. They should be light golden, with occasional spots of pale golden brown.