1
From the Cookie Jar
We didn’t have much money growing up. My dad was a police officer and he worked extra jobs on the weekends so Mama could stay home and care for the three of us because that was important to them. Like most families I know (then and now) there was very little wiggle room in Mama’s grocery budget. She managed to set a fine table despite that, but it still bothered her that she couldn’t afford to buy us treats from time to time like many of our friends had.
Did we feel bad? No sir, not for one minute, because Mama worked hard to provide us with other treats, and one of those was homemade cookies. She usually made cookies twice a week, sometimes more if the neighborhood kids showed up in larger numbers than usual. Everyone knew Mama was always good for a homemade cookie and a glass of Kool-Aid whenever they were over. I have so many memories of the wonderful things my mother baked for us growing up, but at the top of the list has to be those countless pans of fresh-baked comfort.
Monster Cookies
If you want to make a cookie that everyone will fall in love with, start here. Peanut butter, chocolate chips, M&M’s, oats for the oat lover, butter for the butter lover—there is so much to love in this chewy cookie that I don’t even know where to begin! These are some of my favorite cookies to tuck into lunch boxes and briefcases as little surprises. Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
1½ cups chunky peanut butter (see Note)
1 cup dark brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3 large eggs
4 cups quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
2½ teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup semisweet or milk chocolate chips
1 cup mini M&M’s
1 Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
2 Combine the peanut butter, sugars, butter, eggs, oats, baking soda, vanilla, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the peanut butter chips, chocolate chips, and M&M’s and beat again until well blended.
3 Form the dough into golf ball–size balls and place them 2 inches apart on the cookie sheets.
4 Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove from the oven and let them cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pans.
Monster Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Note: If you have only creamy peanut butter in your pantry, use that. No need to make a special trip and spend extra money.
All-American Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
My son’s favorite cookie is the good old classic chocolate chip, and this has become our standard recipe. The addition of oats helps keep the cookie moist and chewy (even if my teenage son leaves the lid off the cookie jar overnight), while the dark brown sugar and morsels of semisweet chocolate balance it out to make it nothing short of all-around amazing. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup dark brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2½ cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 Preheat the oven to 325˚F. Lightly coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
2 Place the butter and sugars in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat again until blended.
3 Add the flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Beat until smooth and blended, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, about 1 minute. Stir in the chocolate chips just until incorporated.
4 Using a cookie scoop or tablespoon, shape the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart.
5 Bake until lightly browned at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool slightly on the baking sheets before transferring to a waxed paper–lined countertop or cooling rack to cool completely. Enjoy!
All-American Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies (and How to Be the Best Mama Ever)
My Katy has loved chocolate since she was a toddler. I let her have a tiny taste one day and she was hooked. Before she could even walk she’d crawl over to me, pull herself up by grabbing on to my pants leg, and say, “I need chocwat.” So whenever I make a deeply chocolaty recipe, I know she’s going to be thrilled.
These wonderfully chewy double chocolate chip cookies are her all-time favorite. They taste like they require a good bit of fuss, so let’s just keep how easy they are to make between us. The first time I made them for her, she declared me to be the best mom ever. Whenever I feel like we’re running a little low in the “Mama Appreciation” department, I just mix up a batch of these and my cup runneth over! Makes about 3 dozen cookies
1 package (12 ounces) plus 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups baking mix (such as Bisquick)
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup (½ stick) butter, melted
1 Preheat the oven to 325˚F.
2 Pour the package of chocolate chips into a medium-size microwave-safe bowl and heat in the microwave at 30-second intervals, stirring after each, until smooth.
3 Transfer the melted chocolate to a large mixing bowl and add the baking mix, milk, egg, vanilla, and melted butter. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining chocolate chips and beat again on low speed until they are incorporated.
4 Using a tablespoon, drop the dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned, 10 to 12 minutes.
5 Let cool on the baking sheets for 4 to 5 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to continue cooling.
Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Choosing Cookie Baking Sheets
The pans you choose for baking cookies have a greater effect on the cookies than most people realize: Too thin and your cookies burn easily; too thick and they may need extra time in the oven. More often than not, when folks have burned cookies, a too thin, old baking sheet is to blame.
When it comes to baking sheets, I prefer stainless steel, preferably commercial grade. You can find these in department stores, but I purchase mine at less than half the cost by checking the restaurant supply section in warehouse stores such as Sam’s or Costco. I’ve been using these baking sheets for over a decade now, ever since I first happened upon them, and they still look like new.
Avoid baking sheets with nonstick coating if possible, mainly because it really isn’t necessary. Cookies that don’t require it won’t stick anyway due to their butter content. Cookies that require greased baking sheets will come right off after a simple application of cooking spray or a light swiping of vegetable shortening. Nonstick baking sheets are also more difficult to clean: Residue left from oils tends to form a sticky film rather than wash right off as it does on stainless ones.
If possible, every kitchen should have at least two half-sheet–size (18x13-inch) stainless-steel commercial-grade baking sheets. I prefer to have four on hand, since I bake in large quantities and use them for so many things.
Flop Cookies
We all make mistakes in life. Everyone. Those folks who seem cool as a cucumber, like they have it all together? Yup, them, too. The difference between success and failure lies in how we handle our mistakes. Do we kick the dirt, plop down, and sag our shoulders in defeat, or do we look at it as Thomas Edison did: “I have not failed. I’ve just found ten thousand ways that won’t work.”
It’s our spirit that defines, in many ways, how our lives play out. What some choose to view as defeat, others choose to use as a stepping stone. The hope, of course, is that as we grow older we will make fewer mistakes. But the good news is that continuing to make mistakes as we grow older means that our knowledge is growing at a pretty rapid pace. Everything we do that doesn’t work out as planned makes another huge deposit into that bank of knowledge. That’s how you get to be a wise old person, which is my ultimate goal. (Actually, my goal is to be a wise old person living on top of a mountain somewhere in Tennessee, but I digress. . . .)
Sometimes, though, what we view as a mistake others will consider a success, and so we just stand off to the side, scratching our heads and looking at them like they’re crazy. And that is where this cookie recipe enters the picture. I found it in one of my mama’s old cookbooks and decided to tweak it to make it easier and more streamlined. The result was a soft, chewy cookie that tasted great but didn’t rise as much as I’d like.
I took one bite and thought they were delicious but still—they weren’t “pretty.” So I chalked it up to an experiment with plans to remake the recipe and get it right later that evening.
And then my kids and husband walked in the door. I didn’t have time to tell them the cookies were a flop before the smell had them grabbing cookies off the plate. Their eyes rolled back in their heads. The kids pronounced the cookies “one of the all-time best” and told me I had to make them more often (and why hadn’t I made them before?).
I looked at them in utter confusion and told my husband they were flops and I was going to remake them. He looked at me like I’d grown two heads and decided to shave one of them into a mohawk.
“Are you crazy? These are amazing! Don’t you dare change these cookies!” he said.
They were gone by that evening, and the next morning, my son, Brady, woke up asking if we had more. It quickly became apparent that I had to give up on improving the recipe because, as fate would have it, my family liked my mistake just as it was. So here ya go. One of the best-tasting flops you ever had. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
3 cups cornflakes, crushed
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, at room temperature
2½ cups brown sugar (light or dark)
2½ cups self-rising flour (see recipe)
1½ cups sweetened shredded coconut (unsweetened will work)
¼ cup milk
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
1 Place the cornflake crumbs in a small bowl and set aside.
2 Combine the butter, cream cheese, and brown sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until blended and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour, coconut, and milk and beat again until well blended. Cover and chill in the refrigerator until cold, 2 to 3 hours.
3 Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
4 Form the dough into 1-inch balls and roll them in the crushed cornflakes to coat, placing them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5 Bake until lightly browned on top, being careful not to burn them, 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely on the baking sheets.
Flop Cookies will keep, covered at room temperature, for up to 3 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Don’t Forget to Linger
It’s hard to believe that my son is in eleventh grade this year. Another year and he’ll be graduating high school and off to college. Not long after that my daughter will follow suit, and my days of watching them begin new grades will be behind me. No more scavenger hunts for school supplies, no more class parties to bake treats for, no more homework to help with, and no more field trips. I miss them already!
It seems like just yesterday I was holding my babies and anticipating their first steps. We tend to think this perception is only in our minds, but my friend Maralee McKee pointed out something in her book, The Gracious Mom’s Guide to Authentic Manners, that floored me, and I’m sure it will do the same to you. “Children only live under our roofs for about 20 percent of our lives . . . which means about 80 percent of our lives will be spent without daily contact with our kids.”
Oh, my heart! No wonder it seems as if they’ve grown from babies to teenagers overnight. In the grand picture of life, they almost have. After reading that, I felt a renewal in my commitment to really be present when we’re together, to remind myself to look in their eyes when they speak to me and take the time to listen—even when I truly have no idea what my tech-savvy son is talking about. The truth is that I am so deeply interested in and fascinated by their lives, but it’s easy for me to become preoccupied and forget to show them that.
So now, when I send my kids off to another year of school and know I’ll do this only a few more times (not like I’m counting though, right?), I am determined to live in the moment. Twenty percent of our lives. Ask your grandparents how quickly it passed and take that to heart.
This evening, knowing that we have only this small percentage, I’ll sit down and hold out my hand, grasping the others to form a circle around our table as we give thanks, making sure the kids hear that one of the things I am most thankful for is them.
Tonight, when we have supper, I’m going to remind myself to eat a little slower, ask a few more questions, and take time to linger with the people I cherish most. Because if there is one thing my grandparents taught me, it is that at the end of the day, happiness isn’t found in our schedules or to-do lists—it’s found in what we choose to linger over.
The sweetness of life is in the lingering.
Milk-Dunkin’ Peanut Butter Cookies
Before my husband and I met, he used to keep a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of bread at his desk to make peanut butter sandwiches for lunch—every single day! You would think that he would get tired of peanut butter sandwiches, but to this day, even though I cook supper every night, my night-owl husband just can’t resist the allure of a peanut butter sandwich once in a while before bedtime. I try to help satisfy his craving in other ways as often as I can, so these soft peanut butter cookies come in handy! They are especially good to have on hand for road trips. In fact, my kids will likely remember these as the cookies that I always gave them from the front seat of the car during our many travels as a family. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
1 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar (preferably dark)
2 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup peanut butter chips (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
2 Place the shortening, the 1 cup of granulated sugar, the brown sugar, eggs, vanilla, baking soda, salt, and peanut butter in a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and chips, if using, and mix until incorporated, about 2 minutes. The dough will look a little crumbly.
3 Form or scoop the dough into ½-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
4 Place the remaining granulated sugar in a small bowl. Dip a fork into the sugar and press into each cookie to form a crisscross design.
5 Bake until lightly browned around the edges, 10 to 15 minutes.
Milk-Dunkin’ Peanut Butter Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks.
Real or Imitation?
I often use imitation vanilla instead of pure vanilla extract. The primary reason for this is cost. I can purchase a large bottle of imitation vanilla for only a fraction of the price of real vanilla, and no one in my family is able to tell the difference. I know a lot of my readers prefer real vanilla and many even make their own. Occasionally, I will pick up a bottle of the “real stuff” and enjoy it until it runs out. That is when my handy imitation vanilla is always waiting in the wings. I applaud using what works best for you either way!
Busy Week Cake Mix Cookies
Sometimes, when life is extra busy, I just get a hankering to do some baking. It’s a stress reliever for me. I love to get into the kitchen and surprise my kids (or their friends) with something warm from the oven. But during those crazy times, I don’t love dirtying up a sink full of dishes or spending more than half an hour piddling around when I have other work needing my attention. These cookies are the perfect solution. Cake mix makes an excellent starting point, and these delicately crisp cookies stay fresh for over a week. The options are limited only by your imagination; you’ll find a few of my favorites in the Variations. Makes about 2 dozen cookies
1 box (15 to 18 ounces) cake mix (see Variations for flavors)
2 large eggs
½ cup vegetable oil
1 Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2 Combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until well blended, about 2 minutes.
3 Form the dough into balls a little smaller than golf-ball size and place them 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets.
4 Bake until very lightly browned at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely before removing from the baking sheets.
Busy Week Cake Mix Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Variations
Red Velvet Cookies: Use red velvet cake mix and stir in 1 cup white chocolate morsels after mixing.
Chocolate Chippers: Use chocolate cake mix and stir in 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips after mixing.
Strawberry Crinkles: Use strawberry cake mix and stir in 1 cup white chocolate morsels after mixing. Roll the dough balls in confectioners’ sugar before placing on the baking sheets for a pretty snow-capped crinkle.
Butter Pecan Crinkles: Use butter pecan cake mix and stir in ½ to 1 cup pecan pieces after mixing. Roll the dough balls in confectioners’ sugar before placing on the baking sheets.
How to Freeze Cookie Dough
Method 1: Line baking sheets with waxed or parchment paper (I use waxed paper because it is cheaper and works just as well). Form the cookie dough into individual balls and place them on the sheets just as you would if you were going to bake them. Place these sheets, uncovered, in the freezer until the cookie dough is just hard to the touch. This method is called “flash freezing.” Remove the dough from the sheets and place in a zip-top bag before returning to the freezer. When it comes time to bake these, simply take out the frozen dough balls, place them on prepared baking sheets, and bake as usual, adding 2 to 3 minutes to the baking time (no temperature adjustment needed).
Method 2: Another way to freeze cookie dough, and what I most often do, is to transfer it directly from the mixing bowl to gallon-size zip-top freezer bags. Press the bags flat and squeeze as much air out as possible before freezing. The night before I want to bake the cookies, I simply place the bag of dough in the refrigerator to thaw, then form and bake as I would freshly made dough.
No matter how you choose to freeze your cookies, always label the bag with the type of dough, baking instructions, and the date the dough was prepared. Cookie dough will keep in the freezer for about 3 months.
Easy Coconut Macaroons
For those of us who love coconut, these macaroons are an amazing treat. Really and truly, this recipe is one of those that almost seems too easy, but I love that it takes away the excuse of not making them since it’s only three ingredients stirred together in a bowl! The result is a wonderfully moist and chewy pillow of coconutty goodness. Makes about 4 dozen cookies
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
5 cups (about two 5-ounce bags) sweetened shredded coconut
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and lightly coat the foil with cooking spray. Set aside.
2 Place the coconut, condensed milk, and vanilla in a large bowl. Stir together with a large spoon until combined. (This may take a while, but as you keep stirring it will come together!)
3 Using a cookie dough scoop or large spoon, form the dough into 1-inch balls and drop them 2 inches apart onto the prepared baking sheet.
4 Bake until lightly browned, being careful not to burn, 12 to 14 minutes.
5 Allow the macaroons to cool completely on the baking sheet. Use your fingers to peel each macaroon off the foil.
Easy Coconut Macaroons will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week, or in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Sunshine Lemon Blossoms
Lemon is one of my favorite flavors when it comes to sweets—it tastes like sunshine and happiness. (How can you not love a dessert that brings sunshine and happiness?) These delicate glazed shortbread cookies with a citrusy topping are one of my special delights to bake for folks who may need a little cheering up, including myself.
Feel free to make a double batch of glaze if you like. Makes about 5 dozen cookies
For the cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter or margarine, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out the dough
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
⅓ cup lemon juice
For the glaze
1½ cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
Yellow food coloring (optional)
1 Make the cookies: Cream together the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until combined and creamy, about 1 minute.
2 n a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3 Add the lemon juice to the butter mixture, then dump in the flour mixture. Beat at medium speed until the dough comes together and forms a ball, 2 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
4 Preheat the oven to 400°F. On a floured surface and with a lightly floured rolling pin, roll out the dough to ¼-inch thickness. Using a small circle cutter (I use a 1½-inch cutter), cut out rounds of dough. The scraps can be rerolled and used to make additional cookies. Place the rounds 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets and bake until set and very lightly browned at the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheets.
5 Meanwhile, make the glaze: Combine the confectioners’ sugar, lemon juice, and 2 or 3 drops food coloring, if using, in a small mixing bowl and stir with a spoon until the lumps disappear and the mixture is thick.
6 Spoon about a teaspoonful of the glaze into the center of each cookie, spread it around with the back of the spoon, and let set, about 1 hour.
Sunshine Lemon Blossoms will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Christy’s Note: These are the same cookies that I grew up eating. They are quick, easy, and made of ingredients that you usually have in your pantry. They are great after they cool, but as a kid I usually ate them in a bowl with a spoon while they were warm. Their chocolaty goodness cannot be beat—especially with a big glass of milk.
Memom’s Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bakes
from Laura Griffin
“Some of my earliest childhood memories are of making these no-bake cookies with my memom. This recipe has always been a hit in our house: Every time the pot starts to boil, family members begin hovering in the kitchen, praying the cookies will cool quickly. Most of us have burned our fingers and tongues more than once through the years trying to devour these treats before they cool!
“My memom taught me how to make these delicious cookies when I was just two years old. She would sit me on the kitchen countertop and give me little toddler tasks. I would wait with anticipation until she said those magic words, ‘Hey Laura, do you want to make our cookies?’ Our cookies. I can still taste the love, the memories, and, of course, the goodness every time I make them. Today I can manage the recipe on my own, but I would still rather make these cookies with my memom than with anyone else in the world.” Makes 2 dozen cookies
2 cups granulated sugar
1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk (or ½ cup whole milk)
½ cup (1 stick) butter
⅓ cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I use Hershey’s)
2½ cups quick-cooking oats
⅓ cup creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Combine the sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil and cook, stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a boil, stop stirring and allow to boil for exactly 1 minute, then remove from the heat.
2 Add the oats, peanut butter, and vanilla and stir well to combine.
3 Lay a sheet of waxed paper on a heatproof surface and drop the oatmeal mixture onto it by the tablespoonful, spacing them about 1 inch apart.
4 Let cool completely and enjoy.
Memom’s Chocolate Oatmeal No-Bakes will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 weeks (if they last that long!).
Chewy Cranberry Zingers
Folks often ask me what my favorite recipe is, but I’ve never been able to call out just one that I love more than all of the others. Well, now that I’m publishing this cookie recipe, that is about to change. This is my personal all-time favorite cookie. Filled with oats and sliced almonds for even more chew, studded with bright spots of cranberry, and spiced with just a hint of a gingery zing—yes, this cookie is everything for me. Makes 2 dozen cookies
Nonstick cooking spray, for coating the baking sheets
½ cup packed dark brown sugar
¼ cup granulated sugar
½ cup (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 large egg
½ cup self-rising flour (see recipe)
1½ cups old-fashioned oats
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup chopped almonds, pecans, walnuts, or other nuts
1 Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray and set aside.
2 Combine the sugars, butter, cinnamon, ginger, and egg in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and mix thoroughly.
3 Add the oats, cranberries, vanilla, and nuts and beat at medium speed until combined into a stiff dough.
4 Form the dough into golf ball–size balls using a cookie scoop or tablespoon and place them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5 Bake until lightly golden at the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a platter or wire rack to cool completely.
Chewy Cranberry Zingers will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Christy’s Note: As an oatmeal cookie lover, I just had to make these. I was not disappointed! These are the kind of cookies I can see sitting in a cookie jar on Grandmama’s counter, steadily disappearing as little hands lift the lid over and over for just one more. The old-fashioned oatmeal gives them a little more texture than normal oatmeal cookies. They will almost melt in your mouth. I don’t think it is possible to eat just one.
If you would like to make more cookies, just mix up two batches instead of doubling ingredients into one batch. For some reason, these do not turn out well when doubled.
Icebox Oatmeal Cookies
from Wayne Lammers
“Just this morning I saw an oatmeal cookie recipe on a box of oatmeal and was instantly taken back to a time when I was the oldest of six little stair-step kids enraptured by the aroma of Aunt Polly’s icebox oatmeal cookies wafting through the old boarding house where I grew up in the late 1940s and ’50s. I could see my grandmother—‘Mammaw’ to us kids—standing over that big ten-burner stove in the back kitchen with my mother right beside her. Aunt Polly was cutting more cookies while Uncle Robert, back from touring some sea islands with the United States Marine Corps, placed them on the baking pans.
“The baking we do today is like making a tiny time capsule that will live forever in the hearts of those we love enough to bake for. Recipes are the reminders that trigger the memories we’ve made, allowing us to once again share the love of those who have gone on before us.
“My years have been long, but my time grows short now. Soon I will go to rejoin the Old Ones, and I am certain Aunt Polly will have a plate of her oatmeal cookies to welcome me home. I can hardly wait.” Makes 2 dozen cookies
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup vegetable shortening
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oats
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Cream the sugars and shortening in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until well combined and creamy, about 1 minute. Add the eggs and mix again until they are fully incorporated.
2 In a separate medium-size bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add to the sugar mixture and mix at medium speed, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, until the dough is fully combined, about 2 minutes.
3 Add the oats and vanilla and mix well until combined. The dough will be very thick.
4 Divide the dough in half and form each piece into a log about 12 inches long and 1½ to 2 inches thick. Wrap each log in waxed paper and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or, ideally, overnight.
5 Preheat the oven to 300°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
6 Remove the dough logs from the refrigerator, unwrap each, and use a sharp knife to slice them into 1-inch rounds. Place the rounds 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheets (the cookies will spread during baking).
7 Bake until the cookies are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Let the cookies cool completely on the baking sheets.
Icebox Oatmeal Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for about 1 week.
A Bit About Butter
Most of my recipes that don’t specify salted or unsalted butter are generally intended for unsalted. However, I pretty much go to the fridge and grab the first stick of butter I find. Salt helps to balance a recipe’s sweetness, so using salted butter generally adds about ½ teaspoon of additional salt to your entire batch of cookies or bars or cake—not enough for most people to notice. But if your taste buds are especially sensitive to salt, you will want to use unsalted butter in all recipes unless the recipe specifies otherwise.
There are countless valid points in favor of using butter over margarine, but if margarine is what you are able to afford or what is readily available to you, feel free to substitute it for butter in my recipes. Butter will lend a richer flavor and is certainly better for you, but margarine will work just fine. Make sure you stay away from “light” versions, as they will yield flat baked goods and cookies that spread more than they rise.
Peanut Butter Cream Sandwiches
This is one of those recipes that I started out doubling, and quickly learned that I needed to triple whenever I made it. Chewy soft peanut butter cookies with a lightly sweet peanut butter marshmallow filling make a delicious snack or anytime treat. I make them up and then wrap each sandwich individually in plastic wrap. Once I’m done with all of that, I usually stack them on my kitchen counter and watch them magically disappear. My son is the main culprit. He has been known to take twenty or thirty at a time. In his defense, though, he likes to pass them out to his friends at lunchtime. These would be an excellent entry for a bake sale. Makes 15 sandwich cookies
For the cookies
2 cups creamy peanut butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 large eggs
For the filling
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup marshmallow cream (such as Fluff)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
2 Make the cookies: Combine the 2 cups of the peanut butter, the sugar, and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, until blended and creamy, about 2 minutes.
3 Using a 1-inch cookie dough scoop or tablespoon, drop the dough 2 inches apart onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. You should have 30 dollops of dough. If you wish, gently press the tines of a fork into the top of each dollop to make a crosshatch.
4 Bake until lightly browned just around the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Allow to cool completely on the baking sheets.
5 Make the filling: Place the 1 cup peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and vanilla in a medium-size mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes.
6 To assemble: Spread the filling on the bottoms of half of the cookies. Top with the other cookies and press together lightly.
Peanut Butter Cream Sandwiches will keep, individually wrapped in plastic wrap or stored in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Graham Cracker Praline Cookies
This is a cookie confection found in two of my granny’s hand-scrawled cookbooks. It’s as easy to make as laying graham crackers out on a baking sheet, boiling up a sauce, and pouring it over the crackers before popping everything in the oven. Once the cookies cool, they become a graham cracker wrapped in a light coating of crunchy praline. The recipe almost seems too simple, but sometimes the simplest treats are the best! Makes 28 cookies
14 whole graham cracker sheets
¾ cup (1½ sticks) butter (salted or unsalted)
½ cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 350˚F. Carefully break the graham cracker sheets into squares and arrange them in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
2 Heat the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat until just melted. Add the sugar and stir until dissolved. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla.
3 If using the pecans, sprinkle them evenly over the graham crackers. Spoon the butter mixture over the crackers and pecans.
4 Bake until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then run a spatula underneath the cookies to prevent them from sticking. Allow them to cool completely before removing from the pan.
Graham Cracker Praline Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week.
Cookies: Chewy or Crunchy?
When it comes to cookies, most folks fall into one of two camps: chewy or crunchy. While many recipes will always yield one or the other, some are capable of yielding both, simply by altering the cooking time or adding an ingredient.
There are a few ways to modify your favorite crunchy cookie recipe, if you’d care to experiment, to come up with a chewy cookie:
• Try substituting brown sugar for white. Brown sugar has more moisture content than white sugar and also adds a deeper flavor.
• Add ¼ cup honey or corn syrup. I often add honey to my Basic Baking Mix Bar Cookies (see recipe) to make them chewier.
• Add both oats and honey for more texture and moisture. This is kind of a one-two-punch approach for me because I love what both of those ingredients bring to the table: ½ cup oats combined with ½ cup honey can transform a standard cookie into a whole other animal.
• Keep in mind that these additions will work for many recipes, but you will have to experiment to see if they work as well in your own.
Pecan Thumbprints
When my mother was little, her mother occasionally hosted showers for expectant mothers or brides to be. She always bought these cookies from a bakery and served them with punch. They have the taste of a pecan sandy with just a little extra oomph provided by the icing.
My mother looked for this recipe for years. It is kind of hard to find a recipe when you have no idea what the cookie is called or any of the ingredients needed to make it! Finally, she was at a bakery with her best friend, Sue, and spied these cookies for sale. She explained to Sue how she had always wanted the recipe but couldn’t find it. Sue immediately said that they were called thumbprint cookies and she had the recipe.
The next time Sue came to visit, she brought these cookies. They were everything my mother remembered, and now we all can enjoy them.
When making the indentations in the cookies, dip your thumb into flour periodically to prevent it from sticking to the dough. I know the cooking time may seem long for these cookies, but bear in mind that they bake at a relatively low temperature. Makes 3 dozen cookies
For the cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine, at room temperature
¼ cup granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped pecans
For the glaze
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
½ teaspoon almond extract
1 teaspoon milk or water
Food coloring of your choice (optional)
1 Preheat the oven to 300˚F.
2 Make the cookies: Place the butter and granulated sugar in a large mixing bowl and cream together with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the flour, salt, and vanilla and mix again, scraping down the side of the bowl as needed, until well incorporated. Add the pecans and mix again until combined.
3 Drop the dough by teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart onto 2 ungreased baking sheets. Make an indentation in each cookie with your thumb.
4 Bake until lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Allow the cookies to cool on the baking sheets for 2 minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.
5 Meanwhile, make the glaze: Place the confectioners’ sugar, almond extract, and milk in a small bowl and stir until there are no lumps. Add a few drops of food coloring, if using, and stir until blended.
6 Spoon a small amount of glaze into each thumbprint. Allow the glaze to set, uncovered, for about 1 hour.
Pecan Thumbprints will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Pimento Jar Heirlooms
After my grandmother Lucille passed way, my cousin and I went to her house to get a little something to remember her by. I wanted a coffee cup, one that she used often so I could use it, too, in remembrance of her and all of our phone conversations over coffee in the wee hours of the morning.
As I opened her cabinets, I came upon a stash of pimento jars, all neatly cleaned and stored away. It was like finding a stash of gold! (Some folks may not know this but pimento jars are just about the finest storage containers there are.)
Grandmama was never one to waste things, and I can hear her now saying, “Those are good little jars to have! If you ever need any, you let me know.”
That’s how her generation worked. They used things the first time around and then found another use for them, never wasting something that could help in some way.
Grandmama would wash those jars out by hand, dry them real well, and tuck them away until one of her great-grandkids needed a home for a family of roly-polies or for safekeeping of a lost baby tooth.
I reached in for two, handing one to my cousin and keeping one for myself. I put mine up on a shelf in my kitchen. If you happen to catch a glimpse of it in photos from time to time, it may look empty, but I see a whole lot of sweetness when I look at that jar.
Grandmama had just taken a bite of a pimento cheese sandwich I made for her! You can see the light and joy in her face.
A Recipe to Cure the Grumpies
Ever need a cure for the grumpies? We’ve all been there! Feeling disgruntled and unfulfilled is the result of not having a purpose, so try asking yourself this question: “What can I do to make the world a little better for as many people as possible this week?”
That one question creates a goal . . .
That goal creates a purpose . . .
That purpose removes the focus from ourselves and puts it on others. . . . And breeds joy for you and all around you. Most of all, it just makes life plain FUN!
Wanna change the world? It’s not a matter of how, it’s a matter of how many times you can do it in a single day!
Wake up with a purpose and wake up EXCITED!
Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies
This recipe is as old as the hills and was often served in cafeterias and Sunday schools back in the day. It’s been loved for generations, and one bite transports me to slower days and greener times. Mixing in some rainbow sprinkles (nonpareils) brings them up to date for today’s kids while still keeping that deliciously simple butter flavor we all know and love.
These cookies come out flatter than most, with a delicious crunch that packs a wallop of flavor! Makes about 3 dozen cookies
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tablespoons rainbow sprinkles (nonpareils)
1 Combine the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until fluffy, 1 minute.
2 Add the flour, vanilla, and sprinkles and mix again at medium speed until well combined and the dough is formed. Place the dough in a zip-top plastic bag or airtight container and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
3 Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
4 Form the dough into 1-inch balls and place them 2 inches apart on 2 ungreased baking sheets. Bake until lightly golden around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Allow to cool on the pans for a few minutes before removing.
Old-Fashioned Butter Cookies will keep, in an airtight container at room temperature, for 1 to 2 weeks.
Tend Your Garden
My granddaddy was a masterful gardener. Whenever we went to visit in the springtime we’d find him out behind his house, turning the soil or checking on his newly sprouted crops. I loved to help him. We’d spend hours out in the garden together, talking about everything under the sun while I watered plants and he pulled up weeds. I often begged to spend the night on weekends, and we’d head out early in the morning to see how the plants had grown overnight while Grandmama cooked up breakfast. When we were ready to head back to the house, I’d be rewarded with a morning ride in his trusty wheelbarrow.
He’s been gone more than a decade now, but each spring I find myself itching to get my hands in some soil and help coax new plants to life. I’ll never be the gardener he was, but I grow the obligatory tomatoes (a requirement for all Southerners) and assorted peppers, and the wild bunnies let me keep the occasional carrot or two.
Even though my garden is not on the same scale as Granddaddy’s was, I still find my youngest dropping whatever she’s doing to follow me whenever I’m headed that way, and we both enjoy the early morning surprise of seeing what new leaves and fruits sprouted up overnight. Most days she has the fun of watering while I look for weeds, and I’m proud to say I do have a wheelbarrow for rides.
There is a satisfaction in helping something grow, and I enjoy passing that on to my kids. Through the years they’ve helped me put up jams and jellies, freeze and can tomatoes, make pickles, and simmer the most delicious marinara sauces from food that we have grown on our own soil with our own hands. This teaches them to respect where food comes from. I don’t want my kids growing up thinking it magically appears on grocery store shelves.
Even though we aren’t dependent on gardening like our ancestors were, this is one of those practical life skills that helps us understand and respect the old ways of life—one more bridge that connects us to our past in order to have a better footing in our future.
When I step out onto the back porch and hear those footsteps following closely behind me, I realize that Granddaddy knew full well he was cultivating more than earth and seeds. It’s taken me some time to learn a few of my granddaddy’s tricks when it comes to helping things bloom and grow, but one thing he taught me well was that gardening is very much like life. Things grow best when given plenty of love and attention.
