Colonial Recipe:
Shrewsbury Cakes

Take one pound of sugar, three pounds of the finest flour, a Nutmeg grated, and some beaten Cinnamon; the Sugar and spice must be sifted into the flour and wet it with three eggs, and as much melted butter as will make it a good thickness to roll it into a Paste; mould it well, and cut it into what shape you please, perfume them, and prick them before they go into the oven.


Colonial cooking terms

A Nutmeg grated: Colonial cooks grated whole nutmeg seeds to make powder for baking. Today you can buy it already ground.

Beaten Cinnamon: This is the same as ground cinnamon

Paste: When the recipe says to make a paste, it means to make a thick mixture of dough for rolling into cakes.

Perfuming: Colonial cooks sprinkled rosewater on cakes before baking to "perfume" them. The modern recipe adds rosewater to the dough.


Modern recipe:
Shrewsbury Cakes

Ingredients
1 egg
2 tablespoons rosewater
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 1/2 cups flour
approoximately 1/2 pound butter
Extra flour for rolling out the dough
Shortening to grease the baking sheets

Equipment
Flour sifter
Large mixing bowl
Small mixing bowl
Small saucepan
wooden spoon
measuring cups and spoons
Two baking sheets
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters

Directions
1) In large mixing bowl, sift together the sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Set aside.

2)In a small mixing bowl, beat together the eg and rosewater, then set aside

3) In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat

4) While the butter is melting, add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients.

5) Stir in enough of the melted butter to make a soft dough

6)preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lighty grease two baking sheets with shortening

7) sprinkle some flour onto a table or counter. Dust the rolling pin with flour too

8) Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thick and cut into shapes with cookie cutters. Carefully place them onto the greased baking sheets.
9) bake the cakes until golden brown