This recipe was given to us by a client, Bridget Moreno. It was passed down from her Great Grandmother to her Grandmother, Elaine Gleason nee Thomas. The story is that Welsh housewives would make this for their husbands’ lunch pails/buckets, most likely to take with them down in the mines. Make by hand or with an electric mixer with a paddle attachment.
Cook on an electric griddle. Enjoy with a cup of tea. These cookies keep well in a Ziploc bag or sealed container.
4cups/500g flour (1cup/125g for rolling out dough)
1cup/192g white sugar
1tablespoon/11g/15ml baking powder
1 ½ teaspoons/7ml cinnamon*
1cup/220g Crisco or vegetable shortening (we imagine that the original recipe used lard)
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup/125ml milk
1teaspoon/5ml vanilla
1 cup/150g raisins
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in Crisco (this can be done with a fork or a paddle attachment of a mixer). Add wet ingredients. Add raisins. Do not over mix. Roll dough on floured surface to 1/8-1/4 inches/3-6mm thick. Cut with a round glass or biscuit cutter. Cook on griddle (300F/150C). Flip when one side is lightly browned. Cool on wire rack.
*(Original recipe calls for 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, but I am not a nutmeg fan so I increase the cinnamon)