molasses bars

I found this recipe in my mom's copy of the Silver Palate and made this it for the first time when I was in high school. In the ten years since I first tried it, I've whipped it out time and again for bake sales, parties, and rainy days, and have had it greeted every time with the same enthusiasm. The Silver Palate recipe is actually for cookies, but I prefer to put the batter in a single cookie pan and make bars. They come out just a little thicker and moister that way, and the cookies are so buttery that they always run together anyway. Enjoy!

Molasses Spice Bars

1 1/2 sticks butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1 egg
1 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan, add sugar and molasses. Mix thoroughly. Lightly beat egg and add to butter mixture; blend well.

Sift flour with spices, salt and baking soda, and add to mixture in saucepan. Blend well. Batter will be wet.

(Note here: This recipe, like most, calls for salt. I almost never use salt in my baking and I've never had any complaints)

Line a 10x15 cookie sheet with aluminum foil and spread the batter across. It might be hard to get it completely spread out, but try to get it within a couple of inches of the sides. Bake for about 10 minutes till the edges turn darker brown.

The finished product will turn out something like this: