Cookies Make the World Go ‘Round

Cookies, it is said, are small bites of happiness. If there is a season for those mouthfuls of goodness it is that special time of year when memories are shared, Grandma’s shortbread is passed around with the eggnog and Aunt Agnes’ Snickerdoodles are served on a that special plate.

The KAPPAN’s own cookie expert, Sue Whelan, asked you to share family favorites and did you ever. Only a few of the recipes can be printed in this issue, but we will continue to share your recipes in other issues.

If your chapter is planning a cookie swap, try one or two of these.

Anzac Biscuits: Aussie Cookies

Anzac Biscuit is a sweet biscuit, popular in Australia and New Zealand. These biscuits have been associated with the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps since World War I.

Equipment: 2 baking trays, sieve, saucepan

Ingredients 1½ c. plain flour sifted 1 c. Uncle Toby’s Traditional Rolled Oats ½ c. caster sugar ¾ c. desiccated coconut 150 gm (6 oz.) unsalted butter, chopped 2 Tbs. golden syrup or treacle 1½ Tbs. water ½ tsp. bicarbonate of soda

Pinch of salt

Directions *Preheat oven to 170°C; 350° F 1. Place flour, oats, sugar and coconut into bowl and stir to combine. 2. Place golden syrup and butter into pan and stir over low heat until butter melted. 3. Mix bicarb of soda with water and add to syrup mix. Remove from heat when bubbling. 4. Pour into dry ingredients and combine. 5. Roll tablespoon of mixture into balls and place on baking trays lined with nonstick baking paper. Press down to flatten slightly. 6. Bake 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Anzac biscuits are sweet cookies popular in Australia and New Zealand. They have been associated with the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps since World War I.

Baker Julie Ditton, International Sustaining

Sugar Cookies

My sugar cookie baking experience began fifty-seven years ago when I received the BETTY CROCKER COOKY BOOK as a gift from my parents. Since then I have made themed sugar cookies for every family holiday and birthday, for classroom parties, wedding and bridal showers, my daughter’s wedding, A∆K chapter and state events, as well as the 2018 Northeast Regional Conference luncheon in Providence, RI. Each year I auction off a batch of my cookies at our chapter’s holiday auction, and I’m happy to report they are always a popular item. I have taught my five grandchildren how to make the cookies and have spent many happy hours with them baking, frosting, and, of course, adding the sprinkles. I currently own approximately 200 cookie cutters and I am always on the lookout for new ones to add to my collection. Baking these cookies is for me a true labor of love. The following recipe is taken from the BETTY CROCKER COOKY BOOK.

Ingredients ¾ c. softened margarine 1 c. granulated sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 2 ½ c. flour 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking powder

Directions

Mix margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until creamy. Add salt and baking powder to flour and gradually add the flour mixture to the creamed mixture until you can form the dough into ball. Cover and chill overnight. On a floured board roll out dough to 1/8 inch thickness and cut with a cookie cutter. Bake at 400°F for 5-6 minutes. Cool and decorate as desired.

Baker Barbara Hargraves, CT Kappa

Ingredients ¾ c. butter, melted (1 ½ sticks; salted or unsalted) ¾ c. light brown sugar, packed 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1 c. all-purpose flour 1 c. whole rolled old fashioned oats (not instant or quick oats) 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. salt, or to taste 35 Werther’s Original Baking Caramels, unwrapped. If using cellophane wrapped caramels, which are a little smaller, use more caramels ½ c. heavy cream 1 c. (6 oz.) semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks (or a combo)

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line an 8x8-inch pan with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray. (Lining the pan is highly recommended for ease of cleanup due to the stickiness of the caramel.) Set pan aside. 2. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, add the butter and heat on high power to melt--about 90 seconds. 3. Add the brown sugar and vanilla; whisk until smooth. 4. Add the flour, oats, baking soda, optional pinch of salt, and stir until combined. Mixture will be quite thick. 5. Add half of the mixture to the prepared pan, and smooth it with a spatula or the back of a spoon to create an even, smooth, flat layer; set remainder aside. 6. Bake for 10 minutes. While it bakes, make the caramel sauce. 7. In a large microwave-safe mixing bowl, combine the caramels, cream, and salt; heat on high power in 60-second bursts to melt caramels, stirring after each burst. It will likely take 4 to 5 minutes total to melt; heat until mixture can be stirred smoothly.

Alternatively, combine caramels and cream in a medium saucepan, and heat over medium-low heat to melt, stirring nearly continuously until mixture can be stirred smoothly. 8. After 10 minutes, remove pan from the oven and evenly sprinkle with the chocolate. 9. Slowly and evenly, pour caramel sauce over the chocolate. 10. Evenly crumble reserved oatmeal-brown sugar mixture over the top. 11. Return pan to oven and bake for about 15-18 minutes. (I baked 16 ½), or until edges are lightly browned and center is bubbling slightly. 12. Allow bars to completely cool in pan before slicing and serving, giving the molten caramel time to firm up. This can take up to 4 hours or overnight, at room temperature. You can speed it up by placing pan in fridge with a sheet of foil over the top to prevent fridge smells. If you don’t wait for the bars to cool completely, they’ll be a literal hot mess. They’ll taste fine (don’t burn yourself), but they won’t slice neatly with clean cuts.

Baker Mary Ann Gerdes, IEB member

You can make this cookie in many shapes: crescents, logs, sugar-coated snowballs, wrapped around a centre like a cherry, or use cookie cutters.

Ingredients 500 mL (2 c.) butter 250 mL (1 c.) sifted icing sugar 10 mL (2 tsp.) pure vanilla 2 mL (½ tsp.) pure almond flavouring 25 mL (2 Tbs.) water 875 mL (3 ½ c.) all-purpose flour 375 mL (1 ½ c.) ground or very finely chopped almonds

Directions

Cream butter and icing sugar. Beat in vanilla and almond flavourings and water. Blend in flour and almonds. Chill dough until soft.

Use about 15 mL (1 Tbsp) of dough for each cookie and shape into crescents, little logs, or round balls. (You can wrap the dough around a candied cherry or roll out the dough to about 5 mL (1/4 inch) thickness and use a cookie cutter.

Put cookies on an ungreased baking sheet and bake at 150oC (300 oF) for about 25 minutes or until very lightly browned (a little less time for cut-out cookies.)

Roll cookies in icing sugar or fruit sugar while they are still warm. Makes 50-70. Baker Kathleen Buligan, IEB

Sand Tarts (Real old German style)

Ingredients 2 ½ c. sugar 2 c. butter 2 eggs, well beaten white of one egg 4 c. flour sprinkles, etc

Directions 1. Cream butter and sugar together. 2. Slowly add flour, working it in well. 3. Add beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. 4. Shape into long, narrow loaves. Chill overnight. 5. Slice thinly and place on a cookie sheet. Brush cookies with the egg white and decorate with sprinkles. 6. Bake at 350°F for 7-10 min.

These always bring back memories of Christmas and my mom. She would make 12 kinds of cookies and we would all be together helping decorate - and eat- and talk. I still make all the cookies each Christmas in her honor.

Baker Cynthia Wood, OR Alpha

1 c. butter 2 c. sugar 4 eggs 2 Tbs. milk 4 c. flour 1/8 tsp. salt 4 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. vanilla

Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each one. Stir in the milk and set aside. In another bowl, combine the flour, salt and baking powder. Add the mixed dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Add the vanilla. Mix well and chill overnight. Roll out the dough on a floured surface and cut with cookie cutters. Place the cut-out cookies on a parchment lined cookie sheet and bake for 8–10 minutes at 400°F. Do not overbake the cookies.

Frosting 2 Tbs. melted butter 1 ½ c. powdered sugar 1 tsp. vanilla 2 Tbs. milk

Frosting homemade holiday sugar cookies is one of my fondest memories with my children. Now that I am a grandmother, I have started to frost holiday sugar cookies with my grandson. It is such a fun activity. I hope that decorating sugar cookies continues to create fond memories that my family members will cherish and enjoy generation after generation. Baker Sherry McMahan, TN Beta Zeta The red and white colors make a beautiful holiday cookie.

Ingredients 1 c. (2 sticks) butter, softened 1 c. packed brown sugar ½ c. sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 1/2 c. flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 heaping tsp. cinnamon ½ tsp. salt 3 c. oats 1 pkg. (6 oz.) craisins (or more) 1 c. white chocolate chips 1 c. chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

Heat oven to 350°F. Beat together butter and sugars until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. Add combined flour, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Mix well. Stir in oats, craisins, and white chips. (Add chopped pecans if you like.) Mix well. Drop by tablespoon onto sprayed or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet. Bake 10-11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool 1 minute on cookie sheet; remove to wire rack. Makes 4 dozen. Enjoy! Hint: When baking, ingredients should be at room temperature.

Baker Judy Ganzert, IP International President

Gingerbread Man

Ingredients

Box of Betty Crocker Gingerbread Cake & Cookie Mix ¼ c. water 2 Tbs. butter melted Directions Heat oven to 375° F. Mix Gingerbread Mix, water, and melted butter. Stir until dough forms a ball.

Roll dough to about ½ inch thick. Cut Gingerbread cookies. Lay on cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until the edges are firm. Do not overbake. Cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheet. Decorate. YIELD: 5-6 cookies Baker Betty Jo Evers, IVP Membership

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