Category: Food

Chewy Molasses Spice Cookies

  • 3¾ cups (488 g) whole wheat or white whole wheat flour
  • 1 Tablespoon baking soda – We’re using baking soda in this recipe instead of baking powder, because molasses is slightly acidic (with a pH of 5, about the same as black coffee) and will react better with the baking soda – think Science Fair volcanoes
  • 2½ teaspoons ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
  • ¼ teaspoon ground Szechuan peppercorns
  • 12 Tablespoons (1½ sticks) butter, melted
  • 1½ cups (300 g) dark brown sugar — I actually always use dark brown sugar for any recipe that calls for brown sugar, but we’ve established that I do not have refined tastes. In this case, go with the dark stuff to make the cookies extra molassesy.
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ cup (160 g) molasses
  • 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla
  • Coarse sugar to roll the dough in

Don’t preheat the oven yet. We’re going to chill the cookie dough for a while, so give your oven a well-deserved rest for the moment.

Mix all the dry ingredients — flour, baking soda and spices — in a bowl, then set aside.

Mix the melted butter and brown sugar, slowly at first, then really put the spurs to it, until it is completely combined and a little lighter in color. Beat in the eggs one at a time and mix on high, until the mixture looks like caramel frosting.

Add the molasses, vinegar and vanilla, and mix some more.

On your mixer’s slowest speed, add the dry ingredients, a couple of spoonfuls at a time. This is to prevent a “WHUMP” of spicy flour leaping into your face with an angry war cry. Just mix it until any streaks of flour disappear.

At this point, your dough will be runnier than you would have hoped, more like a batter. Cover the mixing bowl — I like to use a dollar-store shower cap for this — and chill the dough in your refrigerator for at least an hour. Covered, the dough will stay calm and easy to work with for a couple of days, if you just want to make a small batch of cookies at a time.

When you’re ready to bake, preheat your oven to 350°F, and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Scoop out heaping tablespoonfuls of the molasses dough, and roll it into ping-pong ball sized balls, then roll it in coarse sugar. These balls will spread out as they bake, so you will want to spread them out. Expect six to a regular-size half sheet pan.

Bake for six to seven minutes, rotate the pan, then bake for another six to seven minutes. (In my oven, it’s seven and seven, but very few home ovens heat to the exact temperature we set them to, so, as with all cookies, you’ll have to experiment a little.)

Remove the pan from the oven, and let the cookies cool on the pan.

These are a really good, chewy and zesty version of molasses cookies. The vinegar really makes a difference; the acidity makes these super mouthwatery. The Szechuan pepper gives your mouth a little tingle as you finish each cookie.

Featured photo: Photo by John Fladd.

Some bubbles

Beverage makers go for a not too carbonated drink that’s like a ‘non-alcoholic digestif’

Joe Hyatt and his partners have worked hard producing their new canned beverage, and according to Hyatt one of its subtler selling points is that it’s not explosive.

Hyatt said that although Elders Sparkling Probiotic Drink is carbonated, it’s not too carbonated. “It’s very lightly carbonated,” he said. “If you tip the can over, or shake it a little bit, it’s not going to explode on you. The carbonation is actually teed in perfectly.”

Elders is an apple cider vinegar-based beverage developed by Hyatt and his partners Richard Jacob, Jewel Chérubin and Rayna Farquharson, all Nashua residents. It combines apple cider vinegar, cane sugar, lemon and ginger.

“Our goal,” Hyatt said, “has been to bring drinks to the market that actually taste good and are good for you and are clean. We want it to be as little processed as possible. So if you look at the ingredients, we only use juice that is not from concentrate. That’s what we’re going to strive to do. You know, it’s hard because it’s not easy to find that. We’re also certified organic to try to make sure that we can give people the best product that they can get.”

Jewel Chérubin said she was very deliberate when she designed Elders’ label to include illustrations of an apple, a lemon, some ginger and a sugarcane. “Basically,” she said, “what you see is what you sip.”

“We wanted to make sure that when someone saw the drink,” Hyatt said, “they could see it, and hopefully some subconscious part of them will go, ‘Oh! I know those ingredients.’ There’s no ‘natural flavors,’ like a lot of popular drinks have, because that’s not real. That’s processed, and that’s not what we want to do.”

“There’s no high-fructose corn syrup,” Rich Jabob added, “only organic cane sugar, but only four grams of it. There’s no concentrate, just pure juice. There’s no preservatives, and our goal is to use the best ingredients possible.”

Hyatt said much of the inspiration for Elders came from health concerns of members of his family.

“For millennia,” he said, “apple cider vinegar has been holistically used for people’s general well-being. There really wasn’t anything on the market that was a true apple cider vinegar drink. There are a few that try to act like it but …. Anyway, I looked at our team and I said, ‘Guys, we can make this and we can make it better.’ And then a few months later we’re canned and hitting the market.”

In an ideal world, Jacob said, all the ingredients would be locally sourced.

“But it’s tough to find lemons that grow in New Hampshire,” he said. New Hampshire can’t successfully grow cane sugar; that’s asking a lot.” Given global climate change, though, he added, you never know. “And then when that happens, we’ll find a local source.”

But, Hyatt added, it’s important to the team that the product is made locally.

“That’s where the label comes in,” he said. It says ‘Made in New England’ and that’s us making sure we support local businesses. We bring everything we can right here. We’re not getting it produced in Illinois and then shipped here, which could even be cheaper. We want to make sure that we’re supporting the communities we’re in.”

“This is like a non-alcoholic digestif,” Jacob explained. “In other parts of the world, digestifs are a big thing. At the end of a meal, Italians have limoncello; the French have génépi, and all that stuff.”

“And that’s really funny,” Hyatt added, “because my Middle Eastern family, they look at this and when they eat this or drink this they go, ‘This is a digestif.’”

Which brings the conversation back to carbonation.

“I have little cousins who love this,” Hyatt said, “and sometimes people, especially kids, don’t love overly bubbly stuff. This is already kind of a niche product. We wanted to ensure that we’re not doubling down by making it overly bubbly. If someone says, ‘Oh, I don’t like bubbly drinks,’ we can say, ‘Well, here you go.’ It’s a perfect balance.”

Elders Sparkling Probiotic Drink
Elders Sparkling Probiotic Drink is available in select locations across New England and in all walk-in locations of Pressed Café.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

Driveway cookie cart a sweet idea

A little treat to go

Amy Casella might have the world’s shortest commute. She runs her bakery, Crumbs on Cambridge in Bedford, from the end of her driveway.

“I am licensed and inspected by the town,” Casella said, “but it is not a brick and mortar [business]. Most of the time I have a little bakery cart out at the end of the driveway, and that’s what I sell out of typically. I’ve started doing some farmers markets lately, and events, just to broaden my reach and get my name out there and say hello.” But usually, she said, it’s a driveway-based business.

Casella said the focus for Crumbs on Cambridge is using as many all-natural ingredients as possible while still making indulgent treats.

“Typically,” she said, “overall, everything is non-GMO and mostly organic. It’s less sweet, and dye-free. There’s a nice balance of flavors. I [make] cookies and muffins and marshmallows and cakes — you know, all kinds of treats that everybody loves. I like to make things that are just a little bit different in some way. For instance, I’ll decorate with fresh flowers because I can’t use fresh fruit per the health department.”

Casella said she tries to be thoughtful about selling her customers treats that aren’t exuberantly flavored or colored.

“That’s generally what I strive to feed my family,” she said. “Most people are just not educated on food enough, and that’s through no fault of their own. I think we just don’t talk about food enough, especially the dyes. Over in Europe they banned this stuff some 30-odd years ago.”

With that being said, Casella said she wants her treats to be as decadent and craveable as possible.

“For instance,” she said, “the cart’s going to open today, so right now I have a gluten-free brownie. I’ve been trying to make things gluten-free and dairy-free — not all the time, but there are so many people who miss out on most baked goods. But I still want to make everything enjoyable for those that aren’t gluten-free. So I do an almond-flour brownie. Now I’ll never make brownies any other way. They’re super fudgy, and delicious, just lovely. Next is a salted chocolate chunk [cookie]. Again, it’s an almond flour cookie, and also gluten-free. There’s a pistachio latte sandwich cookie today, which is a pistachio shortbread, homemade espresso buttercream, and then a homemade pistachio cream right in the center. We have the oatmeal cream pies with maple buttercream. There’s a banana, white chocolate chip cookie, a pumpkin snickerdoodle.”

She paused a moment to think. “What else do I have today … ? Oh! A pumpkin muffin! It’s amazingly fluffy. I’ve made a lot of muffins, but this is my best muffin, hands down. Oh, and a strawberry cream cheese quick bread.”

Casella said her customers will never know precisely what she will have on hand on a given day. “I like to switch it up a little bit. I get bored really easily, so I make more work for myself by creating new recipes all the time and trying new things all the time. There’s definitely some favorites I think that people have, like the oatmeal cream pies with the maple buttercream. There’s a chocolate raspberry sandwich cookie, which has a nice brownie cookie with a chocolate ganache and a raspberry puree in the middle.”

Crumbs on Cambridge has represented a new chapter in her life, Casella said. “I’m proud of just being unique,” she said, “and making people happy. Honestly, coming from corporate America, this was a switch-up to just kind of change things and make my life a little bit easier and happier. It just makes people happy in the community. Nobody’s ever upset when they’re buying a cookie.”

Crumbs on Cambridge
Where: at the Bedford and Nashua farmers markets, and in Casella’s driveway at 76 Cambridge Road in Bedford on Fridays and Saturdays from 11 a.m. until dusk.
More: Visit the Crumbs on Cambridge pages on Facebook or Instagram for a menu of what is available on a given day.

Featured photo: Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 25/10/03

News from the local food scene

• Fall Fest: 603 Brewery in Londonderry will hold a Fall Fest on Saturday, Oct. 4, noon to 8 p.m. featuring food trucks, live music and a DJ, local artisans, a stein-holding contest, kitchen specials and more, according to 603brewery.com.

• Apple season: Did last week’s cover story (page 10 in the Sept. 25 issue) about caramel apples have you craving an appley treat? Check out the Dover’s Apple Harvest Day 2025 festival on Saturday, Oct. 4, on Central Street in Dover from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. It will feature a 5K road race and more than 100 vendors. Visit appleharvestday.com.

• Wine and chicken: LaBelle Winery Derry (14 Route 111, Derry, 672-9898, labellewinery.com/labelle-winery-derry) will host an interactive cooking demonstration and wine tasting Thursday, Oct. 2, from 6 to 7 p.m. called “Cooking with Wine: Make the Most of Rotisserie Chicken.” LaBelle’s chefs will demonstrate recipes that make the most of a rotisserie chicken and pair each with a LaBelle wine. Tickets are $40.

• Mac for a cause: Mr. Mac’s Macaroni and Cheese, 497 Hooksett Road in Manchester, is donating $2 for every “Take & Bake” order to benefit the Boys & Girls Club of Manchester and the Manchester Police Athletic League during October, according to a press release. The Mac Give Back fundraiser will run through the month and orders can be made at the Manchester location, by calling 606-1760 or at mr-macs.com, the release said.

• Wine and steins: Bert’s Beer & Wine (545 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 413-5992, bertsnh.com) will host “An Oktoberfest of Wine!” Monday, Oct. 6, beginning at 6:30 p.m. There will be a guided tasting led by a wine expert, a discussion of winemaking techniques and regional influences, and light food pairings designed to complement each wine. Tickets are $75 through eventbrite.com and include the purchase of a bottle of one of the three bottles tasted.

• Chili and beer: The annual Powder Keg Beer & Chili Festival will take place in Swasey Parkway in downtown Exeter on Saturday, Oct. 4, with general admission at 1 p.m., noon for VIP ticket holders, according to powderkegbeerfest.com.

• Music and beer: Henniker Brewing Co. in Henniker will hold its Oktoberfest Friday, Oct. 3, through Monday, Oct. 6, with Oktoberfest competitions, food vendors, the taping of the Oktoberfest Marzen Cask (Saturday at 1 p.m), live music each day and more, according to hennikerbrewing.com, where you can find the schedule of the weekend’s event. Find more Oktoberfests in last week’s food section; the story is on page 25 and you can find the issue in the digital library at hippopress.com.

Junk Mail

A surprising number of cocktail recipes call for Champagne.

Cocktails made in a bar often use it to give a bit of bubbliness to a drink, and it looks good on the list of ingredients on the drink menu. If you’re drinking by yourself, it’s a nice little bit of self-indulgence, and if you’re with friends or a date, you can have fun pretending to be sophisticated. It’s no big deal for a bar to keep a couple bottles of Champagne or prosecco on ice, and use up one or two in a brunch service.

At home, it’s a slightly different story.

If you’re throwing a party, and will be using up a bottle or two of the good stuff over the course of an evening, it’s one thing. But most of us make one or two cocktails at a time, usually to celebrate making it to Friday. We don’t generally have an open bottle of Champagne, and it seems silly to open one just to make a couple of cocktails. If we’re opening a bottle of champagne, why not just drink that?

Beer, on the other hand—

This is a riff on a popular drink from the 1930s called an Air Mail Cocktail. Our version is slightly more down-market, but not less delicious for it.

2 ounces rum – whatever rum you feel like. In my particular case, I still have a quarter bottle or so of some rum I infused with peanut butter and bananas earlier in the summer. It sits on my kitchen counter, and seems to ask, “If not now, when?”

½ ounce ginger syrup – see below

½ ounce fresh squeezed lime juice

1 ounce lager beer – again, whatever you have on hand.

Cheetos – Just because. They seem like a good pairing for this drink.

Pour the rum, ginger syrup and lime juice over ice in a cocktail shaker, and shake for 20 seconds or so, until there is a line of condensation on the shaker, and you can hear the ice cubes start to break up inside.

Strain into a cocktail glass, then add the beer. Don’t worry about mixing or stirring. Things will work themselves out.

Have you ever had the post office hold your mail for you while you’ve been on vacation? Then when you get back, and get your mail all at once, it is a kaleidoscope of brightly colored political flyers, seed catalogs, time-share offers, and a postcard from yourself telling you how much fun you were on your vacation? The Junk Mail cocktail is a bit like that experience. Depending on what kind of rum you use, and how gingery your ginger syrup is, bright, fun flavors will come at your mouth from every direction.

This is a drink that will remind you that you really are fun when you relax a little.

Ginger Syrup — Grate a large hand of ginger on a box grater. Don’t worry about peeling it. Combine equal amounts of water and sugar by weight in a small saucepan, and bring to a boil to make a simple syrup. Remove from heat, and stir the shredded ginger into the syrup. Cover the pot, and leave everything to steep for several hours, or overnight. Strain through a tea towel, twisting and wringing the towel, to squeeze the ginger pulp. Bottled, this will keep in your refrigerator for a month or so.

Featured photo: Junk Mail. Photo by John Fladd.

Try the pasta flora

Holy Trinity Church holds its Greek fest

By John Fladd

jfladd@hippopress.com

In the pastry tent at Holy Trinity Church’s Greek Food Festival in Concord, if you look carefully, between the kourabiedes and the baklava, tucked away over by the loukoumades, you will find the pasta flora.

“Actually, I make some of the pasta flora myself,” said Constantine Newman, Holy Trinity’s priest. “Basically, it’s a dough crust — sort of a cookie-type crust — covered with jam, usually strawberry or apricot or something like that. And then it has a latticework in pastry over the top of it.”

The pastries — and more broadly, the Festival itself — is the Greek congregation’s big opportunity each year to reach out and connect with its community.

“It’s an effort of the whole parish,” Newman said. “It’s a way of showcasing the way our parish comes together and works together. And it’s good to get our people working together so they get to know each other better. We look forward to that.”

Holy Trinity does that through food.

“We feature traditional Greek dishes,” Newman said, “like lamb and chicken souvlaki, which is a Greek shish kebab. We have pastitsio and then moussaka. Pastitsio is like a Greek lasagna and moussaka is pretty much the same thing except with eggplants instead of noodles. We have Greek meatballs. We have loukaniko, which is a sausage, and that’s made for us by a butcher in the area.” There will also be gyros, he said, made from a mixture of lamb and pork.

Preparing such a large amount of food is a communal effort, he said, that starts weeks and even months in advance.

“The more complex [dishes] like the moussaka, we did in July,” he said, “and then we keep it frozen because it takes so long to do some of them. It’s better to get them done ahead of time. Some of it has to be very fresh, though. We’re going to be making over the next week, the baklava and the galaktoboureko, which is also a nice pastry. It’s two layers of phyllo dough, and in between is a cream of milk and eggs and butter.”

Margaret Gegas is in charge of getting many of these dishes prepared in the months leading up to the Festival.

“I buy all the ingredients,” she said, “and then I have a crew that comes in and prepares all the spinach pies, what we call spanakopitas. All the spinach pies, we had to freeze because we make 40 big pans of spinach pie. We usually work a couple of days a week and some evenings as well. It’s been a month now that we’ve been working on the spinach pies. We’re making and freezing pasticcio, which is a traditional macaroni dish with ground meat and a bechamel sauce on top. Those are baked and served in squares at the festival. We also have moussaka, which is the eggplant dish with the bechamel.”

Gegas said the recipes for the food at the festival are so old that nobody remembers when and where they came from.

“They’re traditional Greek [recipes], just a tradition for many, many years, as far back as we know,” she said.

“Also,” she added, “we have ladies baking the traditional powdered sugar cookies, which people love. And then we have a couple of cookies that are dipped in syrup — they’re a very syrupy cookie.”

Greek Food Festival

Where: Holy Trinity Church, 68 N. State St., Concord, 225-2961, holytrinitynh.org)
When: Saturday, Sept. 27, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be church tours at 1 and 3 p.m.

Featured photo: Spanakopita. Photo from the Holy Trinity Church Facebook page.

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