Each year my one-and-only aunt spent the weeks before Christmas making cookies to give as gifts to family and friends.
The tins were filled with a wide variety of goodies from rum balls to seven-layer bars. I looked forward to that tin all year long.
After she passed away, I was given her large cookbook collection. I've shared some of them with my daughters and daughter-in-law, but I kept the red half-size looseleaf notebook that holds my aunt's cookie recipes.
The pages of this notebook contain recipes cut from magazines and copied from various sources.
She'd typed others on an old manual typewriter, complete with typos that made me smile. "Giner Bookies" surely must mean Ginger Cookies, right?
It's Mrs. George Bush's recipe, published in House Beautiful in December 1984.
A very few pages are handwritten.
The first section is labeled "Stand-Bys." The top of the pages have the source of the recipe; some also have "molded," "bar," "candy," "drop" or other notes.
Some have handwritten notes: "cut salt to 1/4 tsp."
A note on the Rum Balls recipe says "do not add more rum! Thin with water if necessary." That makes me wonder whether she added too much rum once and what the consequences were.
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Some of the recipes came from "J.C.'s mother" in 1974, and from "Debbie" in 1969, from "C and H Sugar," "Gold Medal Flour," and a "Molasses booklet." Others are from "Mama," my grandma.
There are a few pages in the notebook that are photocopies, cut out and glued in with rubber cement that has turned brown with age and shows through the paper. One is a table of candy stages and temperatures.
I may not ever make most of the recipes, but I'll keep this collection forever.
It's a snapshot of my aunt's life and a taste of her giving nature, and it preserves some of the treats my grandma made for my father, his brother and little sister when they were children.
It's a snapshot of my aunt's life and a taste of her giving nature, and it preserves some of the treats my grandma made for my father, his brother and little sister when they were children.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies
How could I tease you about cookies and then not give you a recipe from her collection.
I've made these chocolate crinkle cookies in the past; I usually sent most of them to work with The Chief. His co-workers loved them. So did I, but this way I didn't have to eat them all myself.
Because I would. I have no willpower.
There was no source cited for this recipe in her notebook.
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1 tsp baking powder - I used Rumford aluminum-free baking powder (link to Amazon)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1-ounce squares of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup confectioners sugar for rolling
I didn't have to chop the chocolate; it was well-broken when I opened the package.
The recipe calls for "two squares" of chocolate, or two ounces. Fortunately I noticed this on the wrapper, that 4 squares = 1 oz, and I added the eight pieces needed to make two ounces.
There was no source cited for this recipe in her notebook.
1 tsp baking powder - I used Rumford aluminum-free baking powder (link to Amazon)
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 1-ounce squares of semi-sweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup confectioners sugar for rolling
I didn't have to chop the chocolate; it was well-broken when I opened the package.
The recipe calls for "two squares" of chocolate, or two ounces. Fortunately I noticed this on the wrapper, that 4 squares = 1 oz, and I added the eight pieces needed to make two ounces.
That could have been very disappointing. If you make these, be sure to use two ounces of chocolate, not necessarily two squares!
Mix the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
Mix the flour and baking powder together and set aside.
My aunt's instructions say to sift them together, but I don't own a sifter. I mixed them together with my wire whisk.
Use another bowl to mix the sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add this to the chocolate and butter mixture and mix together well.
Melt the butter in a microwave-safe bowl and stir the chocolate into the melted butter until melted. It doesn't take long for the chocolate to melt from the heat of the butter.
Use another bowl to mix the sugar, eggs and vanilla together. Add this to the chocolate and butter mixture and mix together well.
Then add the flour/baking powder mixture a little at a time to the wet ingredients. Don't add it all at once, it will be very hard to mix.
Add the chocolate chips and stir well.
Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least two hours. My aunt wrote that refrigerating the dough overnight is preferable, but I opted for the two hours. Waiting is the hardest part, isn't it?
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil.
Place cookies two inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake 9-12 minutes, until the tops crack. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
This recipe makes approximately 3 dozen cookies.
What is your favorite cookie recipe? Does it have "history?" I enjoy leafing through my aunt's notebook when the holiday season approaches, reading her notes and remembering those delicious tins of cookies she gave us each year.
Add the chocolate chips and stir well.
Cover the dough and refrigerate for at least two hours. My aunt wrote that refrigerating the dough overnight is preferable, but I opted for the two hours. Waiting is the hardest part, isn't it?
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or greased aluminum foil.
Use your hands to roll the dough into balls of about one inch diameter, then roll the balls in confectioners sugar.
Use more sugar than I did. I thought it looked like enough but the finished cookies will be prettier if you coat them rather thickly with the sugar.
Place cookies two inches apart on the cookie sheets.
Bake 9-12 minutes, until the tops crack. Cool the cookies on a wire rack.
What is your favorite cookie recipe? Does it have "history?" I enjoy leafing through my aunt's notebook when the holiday season approaches, reading her notes and remembering those delicious tins of cookies she gave us each year.
Even though I don't bake cookies for the holidays, because I'd end up eating way too many of them myself.
And while my aunt always gifted her cookies in tins, there are many other ways to present cookies. See how my friend Julie arranges her cookie trays here.
For more simple living ideas and occasional recipes (not always cookies!), subscribe to my weekly-ish newsletter The Acorn here, and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. I'd love to see you there!
This post has been shared at some of my favorite blog hops.
~~~~~
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And while my aunt always gifted her cookies in tins, there are many other ways to present cookies. See how my friend Julie arranges her cookie trays here.
For more simple living ideas and occasional recipes (not always cookies!), subscribe to my weekly-ish newsletter The Acorn here, and join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. I'd love to see you there!
~~~~~
My mission is to inspire and encourage you to live a simple, joyful life,
no matter your circumstances or where you live. Join me here:
Facebook | Pinterest | Subscribe | Instagram
Oooh your chocolate crinkles look delicious. I've never made those before so I'll have to add them to my list. It's just the two of us here as well and I've been baking so much! I'm trying to give lots of cookies away so I don't gain a ton of weight haha.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I'm doing too, Tammy!
ReplyDeleteI haven't had a good chocolate crinkle in ages! Your post made me grin. :-)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad it made you smile.
DeleteI hope you don't mind but I posted a link to my 12 days of Christmas Cookies blog series from a few years back. It has 12 different recipes for cookies, most of which were taste tested and approved by my family. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you did, Ashley. Thank you for joining in!
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting! I love chocolate crinkles. I'll have to give those a try this year. I've shared three recipes ~ one is an older one from last Christmas. I tweeted your cookie exchange and look forward to what everyone else has to share.
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining in, Jennifer, and for helping to get the word out. I appreciate it!
ReplyDeleteHi! Thank you for the invite to this delicious party and for leaving a comment on my best ever molasses cookies!:)
ReplyDeleteThank you for joining in the fun!
ReplyDeleteYour cookies look delicious! I will have to try them out with the kids.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Salma!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun hop! I love chocolate crinkles with black walnuts. Thank you for sharing your recipe! *droolin'*
ReplyDeleteYum, I hadn't thought about adding nuts to them!
ReplyDeleteWow, this looks delicious! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
ReplyDeleteKathy
Is anything better than Christmas baking? The special things that I used to only make at Christmas time.. now our nest is empty & sometimes Mr Shoes will ask me to make a holiday treat in the middle of the summer. I oblige him because it's so sweet that he asks & I can certainly afford the effort to make him smile.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays to you!
I came to visit through Chicken Chick's bloghop; I hope you'll take the time to drop in to my blog also & leave me a little message that' you've visited!
How sweet of you to make a Christmas treat when Mr Shoes asks for one. :-)
DeleteWhat a precious resource your Aunt's cookbook is! I love old recipes like this! Your Chocolate Crinkles look particularly good, Kathi - perfect for holiday celebrations. Thank you so much for sharing, and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link party. Shared on the H&S Facebook page today. Hope you are having a lovely week!
ReplyDeleteThank you, April. It's a sweet memory of my aunt as well as a bit of family history and I'm so glad I have her notebook. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteWhat wonderful memories! I love them! Thanks for sharing on Celebrage365 Cookie Exchange
ReplyDeleteMy Mom has made these and I always loved them. :) Thanks for sharing photos of your Aunt's cookie notebook! So wonderful that you treasure it!
ReplyDeleteI haven't made a single Christmas cookie this year...I over indulged at Thanksgiving and now I'm paying the price! lol, sigh