Never Eat a Cold Cookie: Big Batch Mixing for Warm Cookies Anytime

The roar of the school bus was followed by distinct screech of brakes and the squeak of the opening bus door. Someone was home from school! Soon the back door was flung open and then slammed shut. On the table sat plate of homemade cookies welcoming the hungry student. He saw them immediately and sauntered over and grabbed one. 

"Hey, these cookies are cold!" 

Guilty. I plead guilty to spoiling that young man. (Although he did grow up to become a rather nice guy.)

 But admit it. You prefer your homemade cookies warm as well.  

Spicy Valentine Cookies say "I Love You"

Cookies = Love. 

Doesn't it? 

And these cookies happen to say "I love you very much". 

At least when I make them.

Skillet Cookies are a Yummy Gluten-free and Dairy-free Choice

It's okay to love these cookies because they are both gluten-free and dairy-free. Sometimes you have to choose your food by what isn't in it and these cookies are a fine choice. Their true value, however, is that they are just an excellent cookie regardless of diet preferences. Very tasty! 

Make a Date with Skillet Cookies

Bet you haven't had a date lately. No, I'm not talking about the kind where a guy nervously calls a girl he likes and asks her to accompany him on an outing. I'm talking about the fruit. Dates are an ancient fruit grown on the palm tree in temperate climates. You can find them mentioned in the Bible. Wonderfully sweet, they are actually quite nutritious. An excellent source of fiber, iron and potassium, they are also rich in minerals like calcium, manganese, copper and magnesium (Source).

Why don't we often find them used in modern recipes? After thousands of years culinary use, they seem to have fallen out of favor. I'm afraid a whole generation can only offer a blank stare when asked about them. 

Governor's Cookie Jar: The Recipes

This year I entered the Governor's Cookie Jar contest at the state fair. I did not win. Frankly, the judges were not all that impressed with my cookies. I know! I was surprised, too. They labeled several of my cookies as "not done in the middle." This is probably more than just a difference of opinion on the tenderness of cookies. I imagine there is a precise crumb standard in the cookie that they were looking for. I don't know. I do know, however, that I really like these cookies and I am glad to share the recipes with you if they are online.

Governor's Cookie Jar: Fair Contest

I have not ridden on any of the carnival rides at the state fair for many years, but entering the Governor's Cookie Jar competition felt at little like a roller coaster ride. I sent off the cookie jar on Friday morning with high hopes. I felt like I had given it my best shot and there were some really good cookies in there. Surely I had as good a chance as anybody. 

Governor's Cookie Jar: Bake and Take

Just how do you get at least nine different kinds of cookies baked, wrapped and at the peak of their tastiness to the fair by 9 a.m. on a Friday morning? That was my quest when I entered the Governor's Cookie Jar contest at the state fair. 

Governor's Cookie Jar: Gonna Do It!

In our town September means the state fair. Traffic picks up, an air of excitement invades our sleepy town and we almost always have rain (none this year yet, however). A visit to the fair is almost mandatory. For some its the carnival games and rides that compels attendance. Others are drawn to the buildings with rows upon rows of booths with vendors handing out freebies. Some love to visit the barns with fine farm animals of every kind. Many people come from around the state to attend the shows at the grandstand. My favorites are the the Domestic Arts Building with its displays of fabric and food entries and the Pride of Kansas building with garden, agriculture and floriculture displays.

In the Domestic Arts Building there are shelves full of baked goods; cookies, breads and cakes.

Peppernuts: Tiny Bites of Christmas

Peppernuts are a Christmas tradition in our family. These tiny, little cookies came to our area with the Mennonite immigration in the 1870's. Imagine generations of people grabbing a handful or two of peppernuts and munching away and you have a tradition worth continuing.  

And What Do You Do With Molasses?

Not far from our town, located next to the highway and near an Amish-Mennonite community is a Bulk Buy Store. It is owned and staffed by people from that community. There's no fancy packaging in this store, rather most items are measured into bags or  little plastic containers and given a plain label. Its a frugal way to purchase a variety food items. There are certain things that I always buy there: spices, grains like flax seed or quinoa, assorted sprinkle decorations for cookies and cakes and saf-instant yeast which comes in a one pound package, is the best, and lasts me for months (I keep it refrigerated). Its a bit out of the way for me, so I don't go there often and when I do, I want to be sure to pick up everything I need. You would no doubt make a list, but I always think I'll remember everything and sometimes I do. 

Soft in the middle, crispy on the outside. Perfect!

Christmas Cookies: The Tradition Must Continue

Its the most wonderful taste of the year--Spicy Brown Sugar Cookies.  At least that's what my boys told me when we had "the talk" a few years ago. You know the talk. When you ask, "What Christmas traditions are really important?" because you know that you can't keep doing them all and be in any condition to truly celebrate the wonder of Christmas. And right there, on the top of the list, were these cookies. Are they a bit labor intensive? Yes. But they are indeed a wonderful, delicious way to celebrate a most holy and happy holiday. 

Several things have happened to make cookie making much more pleasant. One thing is my lovely assistants, a new daughter-in-law and another son's girlfriend. All that's said about sharing the load is true! I have to admit they are much better help than my boys ever were with their short attention spans, their desire to combine frosting colors and horrors! cutting a cookie out of the middle of the dough. As adults, they would probably be better help now, but their main interest is in the eating, not the making. The other thing that makes cookie making go more smoothly I will share along with the recipe a little later.

I always purchase my high-quality spices at Glen's Bulk Store.

When you think of Christmas Sugar Cookies, brown sugar and spices may not come immediately to mind, but these ingredients make simply an outstanding cookie. I usually roll out my dough fairly thick and the result is a soft, slightly crisp and buttery, lightly spiced taste of Christmas.  And when you layer on a heavy coat of cream cheese frosting, you do indeed have something very special.  

Begin by creaming together:
1 1/2 cups butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 egg

Add:
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
Mix together well. This will make a fairly stiff dough.

 
Now for my effort saving tip: For so many years I would refrigerate the dough and then use every bit of my muscle power to try to flatten that stiff dough between layers of plastic wrap with my substantial rolling pin. Cold butter in the dough makes it a challenge. This year I tried something new and I wish I had tried this years ago. This year I divided my dough into fourths and immediately rolled out the dough between layers of plastic wrap to about 1/4-3/8 inch thick. Make sure the dough is completely covered by the plastic wrap. Then slip your rolled out dough into a jumbo, 2 1/2 gallon slider bag (I used Hefty) and refrigerate. Since I make multiple recipes, I usually make my dough on one day and bake on the next, but I would think an hour or two of chilling would be enough. Now it is an easy thing to pull out a portion of dough and begin the fun part of cutting out the cookies.Pull back the top layer of plastic wrap, but leave the bottom layer while you cut the cookies. They are nice and firm and easily transport to a cookie sheet. Collect your scraps and re-roll between layers of plastic wrap. Since you are not adding flour in the rolling, it doesn't get tough and I keep re-rolling until all the dough is used.

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes until just very lightly beginning to brown. Cool on racks. Frost as desired when cool. My frosting recipe follows. I prefer to frost each shape in the same color with the same kind of sprinkles, but you are under no obligation to continue my compulsion.

Relax and enjoy a cookie with a cup of tea and some of the people you love. Perhaps you will begin a new Christmas tradition. 

Cookies for everyone!!

 Spicy Brown Sugar Cookies
Click here for a printable recipe.

1  1/2 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
1 egg
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon baking soda


Cream together butter, brown sugar and egg. Add flour, spices and baking soda. Mix well. Refrigerate dough before or after rolling out (see above). Roll dough to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Bake on a cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees. Cool and frost if desired.

Cream Cheese Frosting

(This is enough for two batches of cookies.)

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
5 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla


Mix together and whip until smooth and creamy.


I believe that the cookie recipe was originally in a collection distributed by Tupperware.

These cookies freeze beautifully. Make sure the frosting is dry and separate layers with plastic wrap. They thaw in a very short time and are soon ready for any holiday occasion.