Grandma Tillie's Gingerbread

So simple, so easy. It's not fancy, but it is spicy delicious, great in the Fall and Winter.

GRANDMA TILLIE'S GINGERBREAD

• preheat oven to 350 degrees

• butter well a 9 x 9 baking pan
  

In a large bowl, whisk together:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt (note: reduce this amount by half if you use salted butter in the next step)
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking SODA
Set aside for now.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat:
1 stick unsalted butter (if you use salted butter, reduce the salt in the flour mixture above by half)
3/4 cup dark brown sugar

Beat at medium speed until pale and fluffy.

Add:
1 egg
Blend well.

Then, slowly add in:
1/2 cup molasses (I highly recommend Brer Rabbit Molasses -- nothing else is quite the same)
3/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk
Mix until well blended.

Scrape the bowl down.

Add the flour mixture on low speed until smooth, then add:
1/2 cup hot water
Beat for 1 minute. (mixture may look curdled, but that's ok.) 

Scrape the bowl and mix a little longer if there are unincorporated bits.

Spread in the well buttered 9 x 9 pan, then bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Cool in the pan on a rack.

Cover tightly with foil when cool. Cut into large squares and serve with a dollop or so of whipped cream.

You Know It's Fall When .... Marlboro Crisp

... apples, squash and pumpkins are in abundance at the farmers markets and orchard stands. Here is our Fall favorite:

Marlboro Crisp

preheat oven to 350 degrees

8 x 8, or 7 x 11 pan, well buttered 

3 to 4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced

1 TBLSP. flour

1 cup sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. (or so) cinnamon

2 or 3 TBLSP. butter

Mix the dry ingredients together, add apples and stir together. Pour into prepared pan. Dot the top with the butter, broken up into bits.

Topping:

1 1/2 cups rolled oats

1 cup brown sugar

pinch of salt

2/3 cup flour

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

A good quality vanilla ice cream

Stir together the dry ingredients, then add the butter and mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Spoon over the apples, but do not press the topping down. It will settle as it bakes. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes; increase heat to 375 degrees and bake 10 to 15 minutes longer; topping will be sizzly and golden brown. Let stand at least a half hour before serving. Serve in individual bowls with a scoop of ice cream on top.

A deeply delicious dessert for 6.