Raisin Sheet Cookies

Original Recipe

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. cloves

1 cup raisins

1/2 cup shortening

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup water

Bring raisins to boil in 1 cup water. Add shortening and baking soda. [Warning - the baking soda will fizz up, this is expected.] 

Mix dry ingredients into raisin mixture.

Bake at 375 degrees for 15 minutes. Use cookie pan (9 1/2 X 14).

Frost with powdered sugar milk while still warm.

Did it Work?
They were rather tasty with a nice spice level, but they have a tendency to dry out rather quickly. See below for my fixes.

Modifications
Milk for water. Replacing the water with 1 cup of milk (I used 1%) made a significant difference to the moisture level of the bars. The next morning they were still edible and soft, rather than dry and unappealing.

Sugar. Like so many things, I changed out white sugar for brown. Both ways are nice, but the brown sugar adds a flavor dimension and a lovely tan color to the batter.

Frosting. The recipe calls for "powdered sugar milk", basically a glaze made up of powdered sugar and milk. Basically, I start with a 1/4 cup of powdered sugar and mix in a couple of tablespoons of milk to make a smooth glaze and then drizzle it on. The cookies are tasty with it, but also do just fine without it.