Recipe | Heirloom’s Ginger Molasses Thumbprints with Orange Marmalade

A luxury for the time, this citrus cookie is inspired by Civil War history

When Kate and Scott Meinke were dreaming up names for their bakery four years ago, they wanted something that celebrated how food brings people together and had roots.

“Heirloom literally means something of value that is passed down from generation to generation,” Kate said. “We liked the idea of thinking about the act of growing food, cooking, baking, and sharing a meal as a kind of heirloom.”

It was the Meinke’s appreciation for history — and their tasty treats — that made Heirloom Bakery and Hearth a natural partner for KCPT’s community event, “Street Style: A Civil War Fashion Show,” celebrating the return of Season Two of the PBS period drama Mercy Street.

We asked Heirloom to create a cookie inspired by the treats of the era, and after some research they came up with a ginger molasses thumbprint cookie with orange marmalade.

“Desserts were a bit of a luxury, saved for parties or gatherings, and sugar wasn’t always easy to get so people often used things like molasses to sweeten items,” Kate said.

For the marmalade, Heirloom worked with the idea that seasons would have a big impact on availability. An event in January, for example, would need to rely on preserved fruits from warmer months.

“They did a lot of pickling of vegetables and preserving fruits they harvested during the summer to carry them through the winter months,” Kate said. “I love citrus this time of year and I thought the combination of a bright orange marmalade with the ginger and spice flavors of the molasses cookies would pair very nicely.”

Go beyond the taste of the era and understand the clothing with our profile of Christian Micheal Shuster, the designer behind some of the clothes for the “Street Style” fashion show.

Catch the Season Two premiere of Mercy Street at 7 p.m. this Sunday on KCPT, and learn about this season and last with our program update.

Tickets to “Street Style: A Civil War Fashion Show” are sold out, but you can watch live, behind-the-scenes activity on KCPT’s Facebook page Saturday. For advance notice of future events become a KCPT member.