Cakies

MAKES ABOUT 6 DOZEN CAKIES

½ cup vegetable shortening (we suggest Crisco Butter Flavor)

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2¾ cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 batch Cakies Frosting (recipe follows)

Sprinkles or other decorations

Black patent leather shoes

Day 1: Place the shortening and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until creamy. Reduce the speed to low and blend in the eggs, one at a time. Add the sour cream, blending until just combined. Add the vanilla and mix until smooth, about 1 minute. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator overnight.

Day 2: In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. Return the shortening and sugar mixture bowl from the refrigerator to the mixing stand. With the mixer on low speed, blend in the flour mixture, a little at a time, until just incorporated. The cookie dough will look like thick and sticky tapioca pudding. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and return to the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours (or see Old School tip).

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or use nonstick cooking spray). When the cookie dough is cold, drop it by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheets, leaving about 2 inches between cookies. Place the remaining dough in the refrigerator between batches to keep it chilled. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until the cookies begin to turn golden. Remove from the oven and cool for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.

Spread the frosting onto the cooled cookies. Add colored sugar crystals or other decorations while the frosting is warm.

Cakies Frosting

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

½ cup (1 stick) butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 to 4 tablespoons hot water

Place the confectioners’ sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Slowly add the butter and vanilla and mix on medium-low speed until well combined, about 1 minute. Add 2 tablespoons water and mix until blended. Add more water 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed, to achieve the desired consistency (thick enough to spread).

SUGAR MOMMAS TIPS

sugar mommas notes: There are rules for a successful cookie exchange. Follow Wilton’s book, Wilton Cookie Exchange, or go online to the Martha Stewart Cookie-Swap Party Planner. Use these guidelines or create traditions of your own.

Drop by your local discount store once in a while to pick up festive platters, boxes, or tins, and colored cellophane wrap, and ribbons so guests can transport their loot home in pretty packages.

sass it up: Be the sassiest gal at the party by bringing the best hostess gift. If you want to outshine the other moms, bring decorative, food-safe parchment paper to line the trays or package the cookies. Wilton sells holiday-themed sheets. What a find!

modern variations: Tiffany’s daughters were the first to use sprinkles to decorate their Cakies. Use pearlized sprinkles to get a bold dash of color in the form of colored mini beads. In the holiday spirit? Use red, white, and green crystals or sprinkles in the shape of trees, snowflakes, or Gingerbread Boys.

For colored frosting, add food coloring, one drop at a time, to get your desired tint.

old school: According to the original instructions, the recipe was made in 3 days. You would combine the wet ingredients first and chill overnight. Then you would add in the dry ingredients, blend, and chill again overnight. On the third day, you would bake and frost. This recipe is about tradition—following in the footsteps of Bonnie is what binds these ladies together. Nevertheless, we tried to accelerate the process for you.

Molasses Construction Crumples

Submitted by Keith Christensen
From his grandmother Bertha Blausey’s recipe, Quincy, Illinois

The most extraordinary thing that happened to me (Momma Reiner) in the spring of 2010 was that the water main on my street broke. The original line was put in around 1920, and every couple of months, it would spring a new leak. At increasingly inconvenient times (such as Christmas Day), the water and power company came out, shut off the water, and conducted a repair. This is the way it had been for 10 years.

Unexpectedly, the City of Angels decided to replace the entire water line down our street. This utility project was expected to take a minimum of two months, required the water to be shut off intermittently, and forced the street to be closed to vehicles. Perfect timing. The construction took place at precisely the same time I was testing recipes for this book. How could I bake without water? How would I carry 100 pounds of flour to the house if I had to park a half mile away? I had to see what I could do to make life more convenient and not miss my deadlines.

I went outside to chat with “the guys” and tell them what I was up to. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power employees were very interested that I would be baking sweets every day. I needed water; they enjoyed cookies. We struck a bargain and became fast friends. This relationship was mutually beneficial. Not only did I get water and access to my garage, but I also had built-in tasters just steps away from my front door. I brought my friends (with their drills, cranes, backhoes, and adorable construction uniforms) cookies every afternoon. The day they began calling me “Cookie Monster,” I felt I had reached a new level of professional success.

Keith was assigned to this project. He was the first DWP employee to gamble his macho reputation and bring me his Grandma Blausey’s recipe for Molasses Crumples. During a lunch break, Keith recounted his memories of making these cookies. He said, “If I was lucky, I got to help Grandma make them. The cool part was rolling the dough into a ball and smashing them down with a sugar-coated glass to flatten them. That was almost as good as eating them right out of the oven with a glass of milk.” This event reassured me that most everyone has a special sugar something in his or her family.

When I told the guys we were moving on to bars (not the liquid kind), they responded, “Oh, good. We’re getting sick of cookies.” That made me laugh.

“The day they began calling me
‘Cookie Monster,’ I felt I had reached
a new level of professional success.”
     —Momma Reiner

Molasses Construction Crumples

MAKES ABOUT 4 DOZEN COOKIES

2¼ cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

½ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup vegetable shortening

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1 large egg

¼ cup molasses

1 cup granulated sugar, for rolling

Hard hat

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside. Place the shortening and brown sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Mix in the egg and molasses on low speed until blended. Add the flour mixture, a little at a time, and beat until the flour is just incorporated, about 1 minute. Form the dough into a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper (or use nonstick cooking spray). Place the granulated sugar in a small bowl and set aside. Once the dough is chilled, roll a heaping tablespoonful of dough into a ball the size of a large walnut. Dip the top half in sugar, and place it sugar side up on a baking sheet (see Old School tip). Repeat with the remaining dough, leaving 2 inches between cookies.

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until the cookies are set but soft in the center. Be careful not to overbake them. Remove from the oven and cool for 1 minute. Transfer to a wire rack to let cool completely.