12 Days of Cookies: Honorable-mention recipes
BY NICOLE MARSHALL MIDDLETON World Scene Writer
Sunday, December 23, 2012
12/24/12 at 12:26 PM
Find the winning cookies and more.
Baking Christmas cookies is so much more than combining sugar, butter and flour.
It's about making memories.
And while cooks share recipes and swap cookies, the cookies that we make growing up will always hold special places in our hearts.
For the Hiland Dairy 12 Days of Cookies countdown this year, we were fortunate enough to review hundreds of these treasured recipes. About 500 cookie recipes were submitted during the contest period.
It wasn't easy, but we chose 12 recipes as winners. The winning cooks received free milk for a year from Hiland Dairy.
But there were so many more great cookie recipes in the batch.
They included several variations for the traditional Cherry Winks, Forgotten Cookies and Fruit Cake cookies. And we enjoyed seeing the range of recipes for the ceremonial Christmas cutouts. Chocolate or fruit-filled, with nuts or without, intricately decorated or simple drop cookies, they are all good.
Here are several of the honorable mentions, with a little bit about the cookie's history if the cook included it.
SNOWBALLS
Kris Schueren
1 cup sugar
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla
Almond bark
1. Boil sugar and syrup for ½ minute.
Add peanut butter and vanilla.
2. Add Rice Krispies and mix ingredients
together. Let cool until able to
handle.
3. Roll Krispies into balls. Place on
cookie sheets and cool in freezer.
4. Remove from freezer and dip in
melted almond bark.
This is a 1960s recipe that my Grandma Dimple
made. She was published in a 1970 Garvin County
Extension Homemakers Cookbook and it has been
in the family for years. At Christmas she would
chop up cherries and add them to the mixture.
BUTTER PECAN ICE BOX COOKIES
Susan Weatherman
Makes 4 dozen
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1½ cups butter, softened
3 eggs beaten
4 cups flour
2 teaspoons soda
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Cream sugar and butter, add eggs, mix well.
Sift dry ingredients together then add dry
ingredients and nuts by hand to original
mixture.
2. Work ingredients together well with hands,
roll in greased wax paper (2 rolls) and set in
ice box (refrigerator) to chill thoroughly. We
usually wait one whole day.
3. Then slice thin and bake at 375 degrees for
10 minutes.
FORGOTTEN COOKIES
Earlena Ward
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of
tarter
2/3 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
6 ounces butterscotch
chips
1. Heat oven 350 degrees.
Line 2 cookie
sheets with foil. Beat
egg whites until
stiff. Fold in cream
of tarter, sugar and
vanilla, stirring as
little as possible. Add
nuts and chips.
2. Drop on cookie
sheet. Put in oven
and turn off oven.
Wait to open oven
until completely cool.
3. Can add 6 drops of
food coloring for
color. Also can add
¾ teaspoon of peppermint
extract.
BUTTER PECAN PIE SQUARES
Lavon Newell
Crust:
1¼ cups flour
? cups sugar
½ cups softened butter
1. Combine flour and sugar, blend
in butter. Press into bottom of
9-by-9-inch pan.
2. Bake at 375 degrees for 15
minutes.
3. Lower oven temperature to
350 degrees.
Filling:
2 beaten eggs
? cup honey
2 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted and cooled
butter
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Combine the filling ingredients
and pour over crust.
2. Bake at 350 degrees for 25
minutes or till firm.
CHRISTMAS WREATHS
Joyce Cypert
1 cup Crisco
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs separated
2 cups sifted flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup cherry jam
Green food coloring
1. Mix Crisco and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in egg yolks, flour and salt. Add green coloring to desired shape.
2. Form into 1-inch balls. Dip into unbeaten egg whites and then into pecans. Place 1 inch apart on greased cookie sheet. Make slight depression in center of each cookie. Bake 5 minutes in a 375-degree oven, then press center again. Bake 10 minutes longer.
3. Cool 5 minutes. Fill centers with cherry jam.
"I remember making these with my mother when I was a little girl. The smell of sweet sugar, butter and peanuts would waft through the house. My job was to chop the peanuts in the little glass and metal chopper. My little arm would get so tired turning the handle around and around, but the payoff was worth it! These would disappear faster than we could make them. Chocolate and honey-roasted peanuts make a perfect pair."
Irene Mitchell
PEANUT-TOFFEE SHORTBREAD
Makes about 2 1/2 dozen pieces
1 cup butter, softened (don't substitute margarine)
2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups coarsely chopped honey-roasted peanuts, divided
1 (12-ounce) package semisweet chocolate morsels
1. Beat butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch; gradually add to butter, beating well. Gradually add flour and salt to butter mixture, beating at low speed just until blended. Add vanilla and 1 cup peanuts, beating at low speed just until blended.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly greased baking sheet; pat or roll dough into an 11-by-14-inch rectangle, leaving at least a 1-inch border on all sides of baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove baking sheet to a wire rack; sprinkle shortbread evenly with chocolate morsels. Let stand 5 minutes; gently spread melted morsels over shortbread. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup peanuts and cool completely. Cut or break shortbread into 2-to-3-inch irregular-shaped pieces.
Note: The word short in shortbread describes pastry dough that is rich, crisp and melts in your mouth due to the high proportion of butter to flour in the recipe. Don't be tempted to substitute margarine.
MAGIC COOKIE BARS
John Wallis White
1/2 cup butter
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces chocolate chips
6 ounces butterscotch chips
1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) coconut, packed
1 cup chopped nuts
1. In a 9-by-13-inch pan, melt butter. Sprinkle crumbs over butter. Pour milk over. Top with chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, coconut and nuts.
2. Press down gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until golden.
3. Cool. Cut into 24 bars.
LEMON COCONUT COOKIES
Anne Louise Tyler
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 whole egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups flaked coconut
1. Mix ingredients in order. Shape into walnut-sized balls.
2. Flatten with a fork. Bake at 350 degrees about 8 minutes or edges just start to brown slightly. Remove and frost while slightly warm.
Icing: Mix juice of one lemon with 1 tablespoon soft butter, 1 tablespoon hot water, or enough to spread with 2 cups powdered sugar.
CINNAMON SWIRL BARS
DORIS NORSWORTHY
Makes 2 dozen
1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 package caramels (14 ounces unwrapped)
1/4 cup milk
1. Mix flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.
2. Mix together sugar, butter, eggs, vanilla and pecans until blended.
3. Stir in flour mixture.
4. Reserving 1 cup batter, spread batter in greased, foil lined 13-by-9-inch baking pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 15 minutes or until firm.
5. Microwave caramels and milk in microwaveable bowl on high 2-3 minutes until caramels are melted, stirring after every minute.
6. Cool about 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Pour over baked layer in pan, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edges. Drop reserved batter by spoonfuls over caramel layer. Cut through batter with knife several times for marbled effect.
7. Cook 15 to 20 minutes until center is set. Cool and cut into bars.
If you are looking for a recipe that makes a lot of cookies, here is a recipe that Cannon's mother would make every year with her 12 children, seven of which were girls.
"Every year around Dec. 8, we sisters would start making cookies, hundreds of them, using Mother's recipe. It makes 40 dozen cookies! In the 1950s through 1960s, we baked cookies almost every single day during our Christmas break from school. After several flour fights, we would finally get down to business and make cookies for hours."
Donna Sposato Cannon
CHRISTMAS COOKIES
Makes about 40 dozen
4 cups white sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup Crisco
6 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons allspice
4 tablespoons nutmeg
1 tablespoon cloves
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 pound black raisins
1 pound white raisins
1 pound dates
1 1/2 pound English walnuts
1 pound citron
1/2 pound candied cherries
1/2 cup milk
6 eggs
2 tablespoons baking soda dissolved in 2 tablespoons hot water
2 tablespoons lemon extract
3 tablespoons vanilla
1. Mix ingredients well.
2. Drop from a spoon or roll into balls. Press flat.
3. Bake about 15 minutes in a 300 degree oven. Does not have to brown.
TOFFEE CRANBERRY CRISPS
Teresa Nightingale
Makes 5 1/2 dozen
1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup English toffee bits or almond brickle chips
1. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Stir in cranberries, chocolate chips and toffee bits.
2. Shape into three 12-inch logs; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Unwrap and cut into 1/2-inch slices. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes until golden brown. Remove to wire racks to cool.
PEANUT BUTTER & NUTELLA SWIRL COOKIES
Michi Morris
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
About 1/4 cup Nutella
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter, peanut butter, sugars, egg and vanilla. Mix until well-blended.
3. Add flour, baking soda and salt. Drizzle Nutella on top of the dough, then swirl it through the dough with a butter knife.
4. Chill dough 15 minutes in the refrigerator. Roll into balls by hand. Place on parchment lined cookie sheet. Using a fork, press down the balls to flatten slightly. Bake until edges are very lightly browned (about 7 to 10 minutes).
5. Allow to rest 2 minutes on cookie sheet before transferring cookies to a cooling rack
PEPPERMINT CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Jessica Holtzscher
Makes about 5 dozen
1 cup Hiland butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup canola oil
1 tablespoon milk
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
12 regular sized candy canes, broken into small pieces
1. Preheat oven. Bake 350 degrees
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream butter with an electric mixer. Add sugars and mix well. Add egg, vanilla and milk, mix well. Stir in oil. Scrape the sides of the bowl so all ingredients are fully combined. Stir in dry ingredients. Mix well. Stir in chips and broken candy canes.
4. Place spoonfuls (approximately 2 tablespoons) of dough on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Cookies should be very white. Cool on cookie sheet before transferring.
"Every year my mother and I spend the holidays together in the kitchen cooking for the family. We laugh, we cry, as we remember the ones who are with us only in spirit, and we have a great time. No matter what was going on in life, I have always been home for the holidays.
"But this year is different. This year I moved from Indiana to Tulsa, and as Thanksgiving rolled around, I was in my new kitchen with a new family wondering how it was going to be like being home. My boyfriend suggested I enter the 12 Days of Christmas Cookie Contest because he loves everything I cook.
"I decided to make some new traditions and some new memories, so on Thanksgiving day with my new family in the kitchen, we decided to make 'Come On Home' cookies. I took my favorite tastes from childhood and added some new twists and a whole lot of love."
Candi Fox
COME ON HOME COOKIES
Makes approximately 4 dozen 3-inch cookies
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cup light brown sugar
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
2 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
12 ounces white chocolate
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces dried cranberries
1 cup chopped pecans
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment or line with silicone baking mat.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter on medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in the sugars and continue to beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl as necessary, about 3 minutes.
4. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the vanilla extract. Reduce the mixer speed to low and gradually add the flour mixture, mixing until just combined. With a wooden spoon or large rubber spatula stir in chocolate chips, oats, coconut and pecans.
5. For each cookie, drop 1/4 cup dough onto baking sheets, spacing them about 3 inches apart. Bake until edges are set but the middles still look light and puffy, approximately 13-17 minutes, rotating 180 degrees, halfway through, on the middle rack of oven. Cool cookies on baking sheets.
Original Print Headline: Cookie Memories
Nicole Marshall Middleton 918-581-8459
nicole.marshall@tulsaworld.com
Associated Images:
CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
CORY YOUNG/Tulsa World
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