CROCKPOT PUDDING

Pudding:

1 cup unsulfured molasses
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
1 cup buttermilk
4 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

Place 6 cups water into Crockpot and turn on medium heat (this is "low" on some models - you don't want to use the keep-warm setting).

Cream together butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Using a whisk off fork, beat eggs well and add slowly to mixture. Stir in molasses, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, flour and buttermilk.

Dissolve baking soda and 1 teaspoon hot water. Combine well with other ingredients.

Grease and flour well a pudding mold with a tight fitting cover or Crockpot cake pan. If you don't have one of these, you can use a metal coffee can covered with silver foil.

Place in Crockpot and steam four to five hours or until a knife inserted in center comes out nearly clean.

Sauce:

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 c. water
3 to 4 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla, orange, or lemon extract

Cream together the butter and sugar.

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil 1 1/2 c. of water thickened with flour to the consistency of cream (about 3 to 4 tablespoons of flour).

Stir constantly using a whisk while adding flour gradually to boiling water to prevent lumps.

Remove from heat and stir quickly into the sugar and butter mixture. Flavor with 1 teaspoon vanilla, orange, or lemon extract.

Serve warm or cool, topped with sauce and a dollop of whipped cream garnished with a sprinkling of brown sugar mixed with freshly grated ginger.

This steamed pudding will have a consistency somewhere between a moist cake and a pudding, or a pudding cake! The molasses is a good source of iron and calcium, and the eggs are high in protein.