Homemade Cookies

I'm going to start this article with one of my favorite quotes I have ever heard about how cookies and milk could affect how we live. "Think about what a better world it would be if we all, the whole world, had cookies and milk about three o'clock every afternoon and then laid down on our blankets for a nap."--Robert Fulghum (thinkexist.com) Doesn't that just make you feel all warm and toasty inside? It makes me think of the cookies I ate when I was young, so I've chosen a group of "old-fashion" cookie recipes for those of us who remember these and the next generation, who will re-cycle these oldies but goodies.

Pineapple Nut Cookies: 1 cup shortening, creamed; 1 cup white sugar; 1 cup brown sugar; 2 well-beaten eggs; 1 small can crushed pineapple; 1 tsp vanilla; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 cup chopped walnuts; 4 1/4 cups flour. Cream shortening. Add sugars, eggs, pineapple and vanilla. Mix in flour and nuts. Drop by teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until light brown.

Aunt Sally Cookies: 1 cup sugar; 1 cup shortening; 2 beaten eggs; 1/2 cup molasses; 1 cup sour milk; 2 tsp. cream of tartar; 1 tsp. ginger; 4 tsp. baking soda; 1 Tbsp. cinnamon; 5 cups flour. Cream sugar and shortening; add eggs and remaining ingredients. Mix well and cool in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll on floured board, not too thin and cut with cookie cutters. Bake in 375 degree oven until done. Do not overbake. Aunt Sally Frosting: First cut up 12 large marshmallows. Make a syrup of 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1/2 cup water; 1 tsp. vinegar. Meanwhile beat 2 egg whites until stiff. Pour syrup slowly over egg whites while beating. When mixed well, add the marshmallows, beat until dissolved. Frost. Let icing dry before storing cookies. These cookies freeze well.

Melting Moments: 2/3 cups cornstarch; 1 cup cake flour; 1/3 cup powdered sugar; 1 cup butter. Sift dry ingredients together; add butter, may use mixer. Drop by spoonfuls on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees. Do not bake too long (about 15 to 20 minutes) as they burn easily. Frosting for melting moments: 2 cups powdered sugar; zest of 1 lemon; 2 Tbsp. lemon juice; 1/4 cup soft butter. Mix together, add a few drops yellow food coloring and frost cookies when cool.

Hermits: 1 1/2 cups sugar; 1 cup shortening; 2 eggs; 2 tsp. vanilla; 1 tsp. nutmeg; 2 tsp. cinnamon; 4 cups flour; 2 tsp. baking soda; 2 cups raisins, stewed; 1 cup raisin water. Cool raisin water before adding to this recipe. It would be a good idea to do the raisins first and let them cool completely before starting recipe. Cream sugar and shortening until light. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add vanilla, nutmeg, and baking soda. Add two cups flour then raisin water. Mix. Add rest of flour and mix. Stir in stewed raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for 10-12 minutes or until done. Frost with your favorite powdered sugar frosting.

Lemon Custard Cookies: Crust--1 cup soft butter; dash of salt; 1/2 cup powdered sugar; 2 cups flour. Combine these ingredients and mix well. Press into 9x13 in pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until golden brown, cool. Lemon Custard--4 beaten eggs; 2 cups granulated sugar; 1/4 cup flour; 6 Tbsp. lemon juice; 1/4 tsp. lemon zest. If you use concentrated lemon juice, please omit the zest. Combine flour and sugar; mix into beaten eggs and lemon juice. Pour on cooled crust; bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until set. Cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Cut into bars.

Fruit Cake Cookies: 1 cup butter; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar; 2 eggs; 2 1/2 cups flour; 1 tsp. baking soda; 1 tsp. cinnamon; 1/2 tsp. salt; 1/2 lb. candied pineapple; 1/2 lb. candied cherries, cut up; 2 lbs. dates, cut up; 1 cup chopped peanuts; 1 cup chopped pecans; 1 cup chopped walnuts. Mix in order given. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake 20 minutes in a 300 or 325 degree oven. Do not overbake.

Monster Cookies: (Very popular with children)--12 eggs; 2 lbs. brown sugar; 4 cups white sugar; 1 tsp. vanilla; 1 Tbsp. light corn syrup; 8 tsp. baking soda; 1 lb. butter; 3 lbs. peanut butter; 18 cups quick cooking oatmeal; 1 lb. chocolate chips; 1 lb. M & M's. (There is no flour in these cookies) Mix in a large bowl in the order given. Drop by large tablespoon or a large ice cream scoop and flatten. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Leave on sheet to cool. If you wish you can make smaller cookies, just adjust baking time accordingly.
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The next recipe is another of my mother-in-law's recipes. The reason I love this recipe is because----I love these cookies and my husband doesn't. (Ha, ha...more for me!) However, my children and grandchildren also love these cookies so I usually take a few out for me before I announce that these were baked. My mother-in-law has always called them peffernusse cookies, however, I know that they aren't a "traditional" peffernusse...there is no pepper in them, but that's what she calls them and since she's 90 years old (almost 91) I won't argue.
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Cecelia Ruddy's Peffernusse Cookies: (Make them the night before they are going to be baked): 1 cup brewed and cooled black coffee; 1 cup shortening; 2 cups sugar; 1 cup honey; 3 eggs; 6 1/2 cups flour; 2 tsp. cloves; 2 tsp. anise flavoring; 2 tsp. baking soda. Mix and let set overnight. In the morning, roll in small balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheets at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. When the cookies have cooled make a glaze of coffee and powdered sugar and dip the cookie tops in. The funnest part is when you bite into these, the glaze makes a crackle sound.

Peanut Blossoms: 5 1/4 cups sifted flour; 3 tsp. soda; 1 1/2 tsp. salt; 1 1/2 cup peanut butter; 1 1/2 cup sugar;
1 1/2 cups butter; 1 1/2 cups brown sugar; 3 eggs; 3 tsp. vanilla. Cream sugar, butter and peanut butter together. Add eggs and beat well. Sift flour, soda and salt together. Add vanilla and dry ingredients to creamed mixture. Mix thoroughly. Shape by rounded teaspoonfuls into balls and roll in granulated sugar; place on greased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and immediately top each cookie with a solid milk chocolate candy Kiss, pressing down firmly. The chocolate will "glue" itself to the cookie as the cookie cools.

Sally Ann Cookies: 1 cup shortening; 2 tsp. soda; 1 tsp. salt; 1/4 tsp. cloves; 1/2 tsp. nutmeg; 1 cup molasses; 1/2 cup hot coffee; 3 cups flour. Dissolve baking soda in the hot coffee. Put shortening, molasses and coffee in large mixing bowl. Mix until blended. Add flour and spices. Beat until well mixed. Chill dough. Roll out fairly thick and cut with round cutter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 8 minutes. Sally Ann Frosting: 2 cups sugar; 1/2 cup water; 3 beaten egg whites; vanilla. Combine sugar and water; boil until it spins a thread (242 degrees). Pour boiled syrup into beaten egg whites, beat well. Add vanilla to taste. Beat. Frost cooled cookies. (These cookies are similar to Aunt Sally cookies. The frosting is supposed to harden as it cools. I like that.