My cousins and I have fond memories of going to visit Grandma Jennie at her little house in Sanford. We happily headed straight to the cast iron roaster that she kept on top of her washing machine. The roaster doubled as a cookie jar and was filled with these soft raisin cookies. She often sent us kids across the street to the post office to get her mail. Her mailbox combination was CBJ, which she taught me to remember with the mnemonic Children Buy Junk.
Combine these two mixtures:
Mix 1 cup margarine with 2 cups flour
Mix 2 cups ground raisins with 2 cups flour
Beat together and add to flour mixture:
3 beaten eggs
2 cups sugar
Add:
1 tsp Soda dissolved in 1 tbsp warm water
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 cup nuts if desired
Mix all together and make 3 or 4 rolls. Wrap in waxed paper. Chill, or may be frozen. Cut in slices and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Press down with fork. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes.
From Cooking Peterson Style, 2006
Grandma Jennie was my great-grandmother, Jennie Amelia Paulson Peterson.
Such good memories. When Grandma Jennie died, I took that roaster to the florist to have a funeral boquet placed in it.