Image by Petra from Pixabay

Well, friends, I am down to my last two articles. I’m not going to lie; I will miss writing to you. It has been fun researching topics, writing kitchen gadget reviews, looking through old recipe books and church cookbooks, and sharing some of my favorite recipes with you. Before I sign off, I wanted to share some cookie favorites.

Grab yourself a cookie and a cup of coffee or tea as I thank you for allowing me the privilege to write. It was a pleasure to share my stories from life in Friesland. From running the train tracks to smoking cigarettes behind graves and scaring the daylights out of my brother- it was fun! Not to mention the cousins that played Dutch Bingo, trying to figure out who I was. Hello California and Iowa!

I hope someday to return to the paper to write, but if not, that’s how God meant it to be! Maybe you enjoy cooking and baking? You might want to think about writing for the paper. This is not a hard job. It is fun, and the opportunities and food subjects to write about are endless. So, kick it around and give Jill a call!

And now… Cookie Favorites!

Cookies for all season

This week and next, I will bring you some fun cookie recipes. Today we have recipes from the New WASECA County Cook Book, “Favorite Recipes of 350 Homemakers”, Circa 1964. This cookbook was previously owned by the precious soul of Winifred Anderson. Winifred took the Waseca Short Course- not sure what that was. Does anybody have an idea? Anyway, I got this at a local rummage sale in a stack of 5 cookbooks for seventy-five cents! WOO! Enjoy!

Jumbo Raisin Cookies- Mrs. Harold Smith

Ingredients

• 1 c. water
• 2 c. raisins
• 1 c. shortening- butter is better!-M
• 2 c. sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 c. chopped nuts
• 1 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. soda
• 2 tsp. salt
• 11/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1.4 tsp. nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 c. cocoanut*

*- Easy grammarians! They spelled coconut as cocoanut throughout the ENTIRE cookbook. You can give the Mother Cabrini Circle of Scared Heart Church, Waseca, MN a call for this grievous error. Those girls were old school. You can’t blame them! 🙂

Directions

Add water to raisins and boil for 5 minutes. Cool. Cream shortening, add sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Beat well. Add raisin mixture, add nuts, then sifted dry ingredients. Drop on greased cookie sheet. Bake 375° for 12-15 minutes. Makes 5 dozen cookies.

Orange Cookie- Mrs. O. Kenneth Deike

Ingredients

• 1 c. shortening
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 1 egg
• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 c. mashed carrots
• 3/4 c. cocoanut- WHOOP, there it is!

Frosting

• 2 tbsp. melted butter
• grated rind of 1 orange
• 5 tbsp. orange juice
• confectioners’ sugar

Directions

Cream shortening, add sugar, then egg. Sift together flour, salt, and baking powder, and add carrots, and cocoanut. Chill. Bake 350 ° for 15 minutes. FOR FROSTING, mix butter, orange rind, and juice, adding sufficient confectioners sugar for spreading consistency.

Strawberry Cookies-Mrs. Roger Wilkowske, Mrs. Jon Greeney

Ingredients

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 lb. cocoanut
• 1/4 blanched almonds
• 1 tbsp. granulated sugar
• 2 pkg. strawberry Jell-O®
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1 tsp. red food coloring

Directions

Combine all ingredients EXCEPT 1/2 pkg. Jell-O® Chill for at least two hours or overnight in the refrigerator. Form balls of dough into strawberry shapes with hands* and roll in the 1/2 pkg. Jell-O®. Decorate with green frosting leaf made with powdered sugar frosting and a cake decorator*, or insert strawberry leaves and stems. Makes 100 small berries. (Eye catchers on cookie plates- nice for wedding receptions).

• I got to laughing so hard… strawberry shapes with hands- I sure hope you use your hands, but… and then they wanted you to use a cake decorator… hahaha, this is becoming an expensive cookie! I am sure they meant “use a cake decorator tip”… too cute.

We will have to stop here, but I have more recipes next week. Till then! Here is to good food, great friends, and delicious cookies!