Shrewsbury Cakes

Out of around 203 English-language cookbooks dating from 1467 to 1940, the first mention of Shrewsbury (or Shrewberry) cakes appears in 1656, although this blog post in A Taste of History cites a mention of the biscuits as early as 1602. After 1900 these cookies appear infrequently and vanish from most 20th century cookbooks.

I looked at 46 recipes for Shrewsbury or Shrewsberry cakes. They are all buttery, crisp cookies. A few contain no spices at all, but most call for one the the following combinations of flavoring ingredients:
Mace
Nutmeg and cinnamon
Cinnamon and rosewater
Rosewater
Cinnamon, nutmeg, and rosewater
Caraway seeds
Cinnamon and mace
Cinnamon, caraway seeds, and lemon

This early recipe was published in 1670 in The Queen-like Closet or Rich Cabinet by Hannah Woolley. The archaic language might be a bit daunting, but recreating the recipe might be fun if you’re feeling adventurous. If you try it, consider using medium eggs. The size of eggs might have been smaller in the 17th century than the large eggs commonly used today.

82. To make Shrewsbury Cakes.
Take four Pounds of Flower, two Pounds of Butter, one Pound and half of fine su∣gar, four Eggs, a little beaten Cinamon, a little Rosewater, make a hole in the Flower, and put the Eggs into it when they are beat∣en, then mix the Butter, Sugar, Cinamon and Rosewater together, and then mix them with the Eggs and Flower, then make them into thin round Cakes, and put them into an Oven after the Houshold Bread is drawn; this quantity will make three dozen of Cakes.


My favorite Shrewsbury cake recipe is this version published in 1811 in the London Art of Cookery and Domestic Housekeeper's Complete Assistant.

SHREWSBURY CAKES
Beat half a pound of butter to a fine cream, and put in the same weight of flour, one egg, six ounces of beaten and sifted loaf sugar, and half an ounce of caraway seeds. Mix them into a paste, roll them thin, and cut them round with a small glass or little tins; prick them, lay them on sheets of tin, and bake them in a slow oven. 

My modern version:
1/2 lb. butter        1/2 lb. flour
6 ounces sugar    1/2 ounce caraway seeds
1 egg            1/4 teaspoon mace
Cream the butter until fluffy, beat in the sugar, then the egg. Sift the mace with the flour and add to the dough. Finely, fold in the caraway seeds. Form into a slab, cover and rest in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes. Roll out on a floured surface, cut into shapes, and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Prick or dock the cookies, as desired. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges. Let cool on a rack.

I use made them as written with one additional step. The dough is a bit soft, so I formed into to a slab, covered it, and let it rest in the refrigerator for an hour or so. If you don’t want to let it rest, you could always use a small scoop or spoon to place them directly on the parchment paper as a drop cookie. Letting the dough rest males it easier to roll out. I also added 1/4 teaspoon mace, a traditional ingredient in these cookies.