[Sca-cooks] Cookie Cutters

[Elise Fleming]

John Murrell, "A Daily Exercise for Ladies and Gentlewomen", 1617, 
mentions instruments of tin several times. In recipe #77 ("To make 
Snakes, Snailes, Frogs, Roses, Cheries, &c") he writes regarding sugar 
plate/paste, "...then you must cut the leaues single with an instrument 
of tynne made for the same purpose, & then fasten one leafe vpon 
another, as in the last receipt was shewed...".

In #78 ("To make Shooes, Slippers, Keyes, Kniues, Gloues, &c.") he says,
"All these and such like things, you may make of Sugar plate paste, cut
them with your knife, but fashion & finish them only with your hand and
pincers, but it you want handiness, or have no leisure, then you must
haue mouldes of tynne, and having fitted your paste, cut it with the
mouldes, drie them leysurely, &c."

I think there is an additional reference to shapes of tin, but it isn't
to hand right now. BEWARE!! The references are all to using these with
sugar paste! "Cookies" as we use the term, are not mentioned. Round,
flattish "cakes" (which we'd call cookies today), are cut out using a
glass. References to cutting out round "cookies" using a glass are in
Murrell and later cookery books. They aren't shaped as we form them
into stars, animals, etc., today.

Alys K.
-- 
Elise Fleming
alysk at ix.netcom.com
alyskatharine at gmail.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8311418@N08/sets/