Holiday Cookies During the Civil War
Courtesy of the New York Public Library
During the Civil War Union blockades prevented the importation of sugar from Louisiana, Florida, and the Caribbean to ports in the Carolinians and Virginia. As a result the confederate government rationed sugar, particularly in non-sugar producing states. To meet the challenge of cooking during the Civil War many recipes called for molasses. Cookies sweetened with molasses had been a hallmark of the holiday season during the antebellum period. Some Southern elites considered molasses a coarse food fit only for slaves. The irony is that this snobbish and racist view deprived them of the nutritional advantages of molasses. For instance, in addition to its rich delicious taste, two teaspoons of blackstrap molasses provides 13.3% of the daily recommended value for iron, 14.0% of the daily recommended value for copper, 18.0% of the daily recommended value for manganese, and 9.7% of the daily recommended value for potassium. Molasses is also high in calcium, a necessity for strong bones and teeth, blood clotting, and the transmission of nerve impulses to and from the brain. Calcium removes toxins from the colon and thus reduces the risk of colon cancer. Molasses is an excellent source of copper which helps in the healthy development of bone and connective tissue. Manganese-rich molasses is essential to the healthy functioning of the nervous system and contains potassium that assists in proper muscle contraction and nerve transmission. Finally, molasses is rich in vitamins B-1, B-2, B-6, and vitamin E.
Molasses Muesli Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
1 banana
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup spelt or whole wheat flour
1 cup muesli cereal
1 sp baking soda
1 tsp ginger
1.5 tsp cinnamon
Method
Mash the banana and stir together with the molasses, honey and sugar. Add the spices and baking soda, then the flour, mixing well. Stir in the muesli. Drop rounded teaspoons onto greased baking sheets. Bake at 350F for about 8 minutes. Makes 24 cookies.