THE ORIGINAL ‘RECEIPT’

Cinnamon Gems.

One egg, one quarter cup milk, butter size of two walnuts, few currants, half cup of sugar, two tablespoons cinnamon, one teaspoon baking powder, flour to thicken slightly, one tablespoon molasses.  If molasses is used only put in one tablespoon sugar.

~The Ladies of Welland Branch of the Women’s Institute, in aid of Welland County Hospital. Good Things to Eat and How to Prepare Them. Welland: Office of the Tribune, 1908.

THE UPDATED RECIPE

• ¾ c. sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 2 Tb. powdered cinnamon
• ½ c. brown sugar
• ½ c. currants
• 1 egg
• ¼ c. milk
• ¼ c. melted butter.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Heat cast-iron gem pans in the oven.  (Or lightly butter muffin tins, instead, but do not heat the tins in the oven.)

Melt the butter in a small saucepan, over low heat.

Sift the dry ingredients together into a mixing bowl.

Add the currants to the dry ingredients, and mix to distribute them evenly.

Beat the egg lightly with a fork, and add it to the milk;  mix thoroughly.

Add the melted butter to the egg and milk, and then add to the dry mixture; blend together thoroughly.

Lightly grease the heated gem irons with butter.

Spoon the batter into the heated gem pans, until filled level with the tops. If you are using a muffin tin, fill about 3/4 full.

Bake in a preheated oven, at 400F for approximately 20 to 25 minutes, until a cake tester, when inserted into the centre of one of the gems, comes out clean.

Yield:  8 “Gems” or muffins.

These are especially spicy and good!

A note from Patricia: Ummmmmmm….. Yum. These were so delicious, especially warm with butter. I used a muffin tin, and the amount of batter produced from the ingredients above was perfect for 6 good-sized muffins. I also used 1:1 gluten free baking flour, and they turned out perfectly.

The pans for what are called gems, should always be hot, and be well buttered before the gems are put in. Bake quickly.

~Carruthers, Francis. Twentieth Century Home Cook Book. Chicago: The Charles C. Thompson Co., 1906.

For those of you who don’t know what a gem pan is (don’t worry, I didn’t either), I found one among my aunt’s antique cooking supplies, and you can see a typical one HERE.