1 cup raisins, plumped
1/2 cup chopped nuts
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup moist brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup soft butter or margarine
2 tablespoons shortening
1 egg
1/2 cup dark molasses
1/2 cup thick buttermilk

Grease baking sheets. Preheat oven to moderately hot (400 deg.) Wash raisins and plump, then cool. Chop nuts. Sift flour, measure, resift 4 times with next 5 ingredients. Press brown sugar through a coarse sieve to remove lumps.

In a 3-quart mixing bowl, cream butter and shortening with a wooden spoon until smooth, add sugar and cream well. Scrape spoon, remove. Beat in egg with rotary beater until fluffy, then beat in molasses until satiny. Remove beater and use spoon. Stir in flour mixture and milk alternately in 2 or 3 portions, beginning and ending with flour and mixing until smooth after each portion. Stir in raisins and nuts until well distributed.

Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls onto prepared sheet. Bake about 10 minutes or until delicately browned. Remove at once from sheet to cake rack. When cool, store in jar or box with tight-fitting cover with sheet of waxed paper between layers.

Makes 3 dozen.