Ginger Raisin Cookies ☺

Adapted from Chickens in the Road

These are soft raisin and ginger cookies with some delightful seasonal spice.

3/4 cup (6 oz or 170 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup (200 g) sugar
2 tsp finely grated ginger
grated rind of one orange
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/4 cup (85 g) molasses
2-1/4 cup (280 g) all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1 cup (110 g) raisins
1 cup (115 g) chopped walnuts
2 oz (60 g) crystallized ginger, finely chopped
1/4 cup (50 g) turbinado sugar

In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add the cup of sugar, grated ginger, and vanilla. Beat the mixture until it is well combined. Add the egg and molasses, and beat until well-mixed.

In a bowl, mix together the flour, soda, and ground spices. Beat in as much of the flour mixture as you can into the butter mixture. Then, stir in the remaining, flour, nuts, raisins, and crystallized ginger with a wooden spoon. Cover, and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cover a baking sheet with a sheet of parchment paper.

With a tablespoon, scoop and shape dough into balls. Roll in turbinado sugar (or substitute granulated sugar). Place the cookies on the baking sheet two inches apart.

Bake for 9 or 10 minutes and no more! Do not overbake! Let stand a couple of minutes before removing the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

After cookies are completely cooled, place them in an airtight container. The cookies freeze well.

Yield: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 20 mins.

Cook time: 9 mins.

Total time: 29 mins.

Aunt Virgie Lee's Swedish Kringle

My Aunt Virgie Lee made this dessert for me on a visit. With desserts like this one, she always keeps me coming back!

Crust:

1-1/4 c flour
1/2 c butter
4 T cold water

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Cut butter into the flour. Add the water. Form into a dough, and press into the bottom of a jelly roll pan.

Filling:

1 c water
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
3 eggs
1 t vanilla

In a saucepan, boil the water and the butter. Remove from eat and add the flour all at once, stirring until combined. Add each egg, one at a time, beating until the egg is incorporated. Stir in vanilla.

Spread the filling over the crust. Bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F, and bake for another 25 minutes.

Frosting:

2 c powdered sugar
pinch of salt
2 T softened butter
1 t vanilla
2 T evaporated milk

Beat together the sugar, salt, and butter. Stir in the vanilla. Beat in the milk. Frost the kringle while it is still slightly warm. Cut the kringle into bars.

Note: For a chocolate frosting, add 2 T cocoa to the powdered sugar and salt before beating in the butter.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2-1/4 c flour
1/2 t soda
1 t salt
1 c shortening
1/2 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
3 eggs, beaten
2 t vanilla
1 c chopped nuts
1 c chocolate chips

Sift flour, soda, and salt together. Cream shortening, brown and granulated sugars together. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat thoroughly. Add sifted dry ingredients. Fold in nuts and chocolate chips. Drop from teaspoon onto greased cookie sheet. Bake in moderate oven (350°F) about 10 minutes.

Soft Sugar Cookies

5 c flour
2 c sugar
1 c sour cream
1 c shortening
1 t soda
1 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
1 t salt
4 eggs

Mix as little as possible. Chill. Roll out. Bake at 400°F.

Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 c shortening
1 c sugar
2 eggs
1/4 c milk
2 c oats
2 c flour
3/4 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t salt
1 c raisins

Mix in order given. Drop by teaspoonfuls on baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes.

Note: Cost of ingredients approximates 7¢ per dozen cookies (1944).

English Cookies

2 c brown sugar
1 c shortening
1 t baking powder
1 t soda
1 t nutmeg
1 t cinnamon
1 c cold coffee
2 eggs
3 c flour
2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped nuts

Sift together dry ingredients. Mix in the other ingredients. Drop by teaspoonfuls on a greased pan. Bake in a medium oven (350°F) for 10 minutes.

Chocolate Waffles

1 c sugar
1/2 c butter
2 eggs
1/2 c milk
1 c chopped walnuts
1-1/2 c flour
1 t baking powder
2 squares chocolate, melted

Mix in order given. Drop by tablespoon, one in each section of a waffle iron. Bake three minutes. Do not substitute shortening for butter.

Note: These were a special dessert when we were kids. Mom served them with whipped cream.

Yummy Balls

1 c butter
6 round T sugar
2 c flour
2 c nuts
2 t vanilla

Shape in round, small balls. Cook in slow oven 325° 20 - 30 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar. Keep in cool place. Keeps for months.

Plastic Cookie Recipe

2 eggs
1 c shortening
3 c flour
2/3 c sugar
3/4 t salt
1 t vanilla
1/2 t almond (extract)

And that's it. She didn't write any further instructions. But try this: Cream the eggs and shortening. Slowly beat in the sugar, vanilla, and almond extract. Sift the flour and salt. Mix the flour mixture into the shortening mixture. Chill the dough. Roll out very thin on a lightly floured surface and cut into cookies (she used plastic cookie cutters, hence the name). Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 325° for 10 minutes (cookies should not brown).

I see, too, that the recipe doesn't have any leavening. Try it without first. If the result is a total disaster, add 1 t baking powder to the flour mixture.

Gingerbread House

Cookie:

2-3/4 c sifted flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 t ginger
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t cloves
3/4 c molasses
1/3 c brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 c shortening (oil)

Stir in dry ingredients gradually. Chill 1 hour. Roll dough out on wax paper to fit 10 x 15-1/2" cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for 12 minutes. Cut warm. (See diagram.)

Ice Box Cookies

1 c br sugar
1 c wh sugar
1 c shortening
3 eggs, beaten
1 t salt
4-1/2 c flour
1 t soda
1 t cinnamon
1/2 t nutmeg
1/2 t cloves (may be omitted
1 c chopped nuts
May add 1/4 c milk & more flour)

Cream shortening with sugar. Add eggs slowly; add nuts, then sifted dry ingredients. Shape into rolls (about 4) & keep in ice box. May be used after 12 hrs. Slice thin, bake in hot oven (375°) about 5 min. About 125 cookies.

Fudge Squares

Mildred McIlvaine

3/4 cup sifted cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, well beaten
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup shortening
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 ozs. (squares) chocolate

Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Melt shortening with chocolate. Beat sugar into eggs, add chocolate mixture and blend. Add sifted ingredients, nuts and vanilla and mix well. Bake in greased 8 in. pan in moderate oven (350) about 35 minutes. Cool and cut in squares.

Johnny Bees ☺

Happy's Recipe Collection

The best chocolate junk-food cookie ever!

1 package (17.5 oz) Betty Crocker Double Chocolate Chunk Cookie Mix
15 (1/2 package) Cool Mint Creme Oreo Cookies
1 cup (4 oz) chopped walnuts
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup (2 oz) unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup water

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Empty the cookie mix into a large bowl. Break 15 Oreo cookies over the cookie mix. (Break each cookie into 5 or 6 pieces. Don't break the cookies into too many pieces.) Add the chopped nuts.

In a pint liquid measuring cup or small bowl, whisk together the egg, water, and vanilla. Whisk in the melted butter. Pour over the dry ingredients, and gently stir until a soft dough forms, and the cookie mix is completely incorporated into the dough.

Drop about an inch apart by tablespoonfuls on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake about 9 minutes or just until set. The centers will still be soft.

Remove from the oven, and cool for 1 minute on the baking sheet. Remove the cookies to a wire rack, and cool completely.

Store in an airtight container. Place a piece of wax paper between cookies layers to prevent the cookies from sticking together.

Yield: 48 cookies

Prep Time: 20 mins.

Cook time: 9 mins.

Total time: 29 mins.