Georgia’s Kitchen: Cookies

Georgia Diehm

March is here and spring is close but there may still be several days when heating up your oven to bake a delicious treat may be a comforting thing to do.

Here are some recipes for cookies that I found in Mom’s recipe box. These are just a small sampling of the many that she gathered through the years. The first one that I will share was one of my kid’s favorites- one that I think Mom clipped out of a newspaper but made a traditional family treat that she baked for many years.

Grandma Diehm’s Orange Slice Cookies

1 1/2 cups brown sugar
1/2 cup shortening
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 lb. orange-slice candy(can use less-cut in small pieces)
1/2 c. flaked coconut or nuts(may use both mixed)
1/2 cup quick cooking oats

Cream sugar and shortening. Beat in eggs. Sift 1 1/2 cups flour, soda and salt. Blend into creamed mixture. Mix orange slices with remaining 1/2 cup flour, add with remaining ingredients. Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at (325) for 12 minutes. Yield 5 doz.

Note: I have had better results when I(Diane) added 1/4 cup more shortening. I shaped the dough into balls. When the cookie comes out of the oven and is still warm & soft, I used a fork to make them flat. Mom said the secret to a better cookie is to melt the shortening first. Mom’s was delicious. I guess each person can experiment to see what works best for them.

Here are some old-time favorites of many people:

Old Fashioned Molasses Cookies

3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup molasses
2 beaten eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 1/4 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream shortening. Add eggs and molasses. Sift flour with baking powder, soda, salt and cinnamon. Add alternately with milk to first mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets. Top each cookie with an English walnut half. Bake in (425) oven for 10 to 12 min. Makes 4 to 5 doz cookies

Famous Oatmeal Cookies

3/4 cup shortening, soft
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1/4 cup water
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda
3 cups oats, uncooked

Beat shortening, sugars, egg, water and vanilla together until creamy. Sift together flour, salt, soda. Add to creamed mixture. Blend well. Stir into oats. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake in preheated moderate oven (350) 12-15 min (For variety, add chopped nutmeats, raisins, chocolate chips or coconut) Makes 5 doz

Cornmeal Cookies

3/4 cup fat or oleo
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 tsp nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup raisins

Beat fat or oleo, sugar, and egg together until creamy. Sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to creamed mixture. Blend well. Stir in cornmeal, nutmeg (or pumpkin pie spice), and raisins. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets. Bake at (350) 15 minutes until lightly browned on top.

Ginger Snaps

1 cup lard
1 cup molasses
1 tsp soda
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups flour sifted(about)

Boil lard and molasses 2 min. and cool. Add soda, ginger, salt and flour to make a stiff dough. Chill in refrigerator several hrs. or overnight. Roll very thin. Bake in a moderately hot oven (375)for about 8 min. Makes about 50 cookies

Soft Ginger Cookies

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup lard
1 egg
1 cup molasses
1 cup sour milk
2 tsp soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp each cloves
allspice
nutmeg
1 tsp salt
5 cups flour, sifted(about)

Cream sugar and shortening; add egg and beat well. Add molasses, then milk, then remaining ingredients, adding flour until dough is just stiff enough to roll. Chill thoroughly. Roll 1/8 in thick and cut in desired shape. Bake on greased baking sheet in a moderately hot oven(375) about 12 min. Makes about 12 doz cookies. Store in covered cookie jar.