The Saturday Evening Post » cookies

ANZAC Biscuits

Dana Jacobi for the American Institute for Cancer Research — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 12:00:03 +0000

Chocolate chip cookies are an American invention. Around the world, other countries also have sweet treats they created. Think French pain au chocolat and éclairs, Italian biscotti, and the chewy Japanese rice flour treat called mochi.

We know little about Australian cooking, so let me introduce you to ANZAC biscuits. ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps, and a biscuit is a sweet cookie. ANZAC biscuits are like crunchy oatmeal cookies with shredded coconut. They are associated with ANZAC Day (April 25) when during World War I, troops from Down Under landed in Gallipoli to face a horrendous situation. The biscuit was created to send home-cooked food to troops far away and to fortify their limited diet with good nutrition.

As with chocolate chip cookies, recipes for ANZAC biscuits abound. Here, I use a soft buttery spread in place of butter to minimize saturated fat and cut out cholesterol. Keeping the fat content reasonable means this dough works best baked as a bar.

ANZAC Biscuits

(Makes 20 servings)

Ingredients

1 cup quick cooking rolled oats
1 cup reduced-fat, unsweetened shredded dried coconut (or ½ cup regular, unsweetened shredded coconut)
½ cup whole-wheat pastry flour
½ cup unbleached all purpose flour
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup packed brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup buttery spread
2 tablespoons honey
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons boiling water
Canola oil cooking spray

Mixing Directions

In mixing bowl, use whisk to combine oats, coconut, flours, sugars and salt.
In small pot over medium heat, heat spread until melted. Mix in honey. Remove pot from heat.
In small bowl, combine baking soda with boiling water. When mixture is foamy, add to melted spread mixture.
Pour warm mixture into dry ingredients and mix, first using flexible spatula, then your hands, working with your fingers until mixture is evenly moistened. It will be sandy and crumble when squeezed in your fist.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 2–24 hours, until handful squeezed tightly sticks together.

Baking Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Coat 11-by-7-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Pour bar mixture into prepared pan and press firmly into even layer.
Bake 10 minutes. Remove pan and using sharp, thin knife make 4 cuts spaced evenly across wider width of pan. Rotate pan 90 degrees and make 3 cuts across smaller width of pan, creating 20 bars. Return pan to oven and bake for 8-10 minutes, until cookies are deep golden brown. They will be slightly puffy and yield a little when pressed with a finger.
Set pan on wire baking rack and run knife through cuts. Cool completely. Run knife through cuts again to make sure cookies are completely separated and lift from pan. ANZAC cookies will keep in airtight container for 1 week.

Nutrition Facts

SERVING SIZE

Calories: 130
Total fat: 6 g
Saturated fat: 3 g
Carbohydrate: 17 g
Fiber: 1 g
Protein: 1 g
Sodium: 140 mg

ANZAC Biscuits The Saturday Evening Post

Norman Rockwell’s Oatmeal Cookies

Corey Michael Dalton — Thu, 29 Dec 2011 14:00:17 +0000

Shortly before Norman Rockwell passed away in the late 1970s, he sent the editors of the Post a letter containing his all-time-favorite recipe—oatmeal cookies. Much like Rockwell’s paintings, the recipe is simple, straightforward, and classic. Make a batch today for a taste of true Americana!

Scan of original Cook Recipe note from Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell’s Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients

1 stick butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup water and 2 eggs well beaten
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
About 1 cup oatmeal
Chopped nuts (walnuts preferred)

Directions

Mix in order and drop on baking sheet. Bake 400° 7 to 8 minutes. Then run under broiler to brown.

Norman Rockwell’s Oatmeal Cookies The Saturday Evening Post

Shortbread Cookies: Like Mom Used to Make

Heather Ray — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 14:00:11 +0000

The kind of cookie that brings memories of your childhood, no matter what your age! These crunchy cookies have been called sandies, snowballs, and everything else under the winter sun. We call them delicious! Also check out Carolyn’s family recipe below, and keep sending us your favorites!

Send your favorite family recipes to letters@saturdayeveningpost.com.

Pecan Snowballs

(Makes 4 batches)

2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups chopped pecans
Confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cream butter, sugar, and vanilla together. Slowly add flour and salt, mixing completely.

Add chopped pecans and mix well.

Shape into balls about 1 inch in diameter and place on cookie sheet that has been covered with parchment paper or lightly greased.

Bake for 20 minutes. Cool, then sift confectioners’ sugar over all sides. NOTE: cookies will not brown.

Photo and recipe courtesy The Food Channel.

Carolyn from Greenwood, Indiana, writes us with her own recipe:

“My mother would make these every Chistmas. I’m 64, so you can tell how old the recipe is. I
have no idea where she got the recipe, but what a wonderful tradition!”

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

(Makes about 4 dozen)

1 pound butter or margarine
1 cup dark brown sugar
4 cups flour
1 bag whole pecans (to top each one)

Preheat oven to 325 F.

Cream butter and sugar together. Add flour. Form dough and chill for at least one hour. Roll dough in balls, about the size of a walnut. Press whole pecan on top.

Bake 20 minutes.

For more family cookie recipes, see “For the Joy of Cookies,” from the Nov/Dec issue of The Saturday Evening Post.

Shortbread Cookies: Like Mom Used to Make The Saturday Evening Post

For the Joy of Cookies

Heather Ray — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 05:01:22 +0000

For Susan Smith—mother of three, grandmother of five, and sibling of seven—a traditional white Christmas in Naples, Florida, is out of the question. Susan’s daughters, however, enjoy a “white Christmas” of a different kind every time they visit for their annual cooking-baking ritual, when snowflakes fall in the form of confectioners’ sugar and the occasional flour fight (a lot less painful than snowballs) has been known to break out.

The sensational art of cookie making remains a tradition in American households, especially during the holidays. It’s a custom that makes precious memories and embraces life’s simple pleasures. Susan and her family take it seriously, in the most lighthearted way.

“I have fond memories of being allowed to help press the cookie cutters down after Mother placed them on the dough,” Susan recalls. It’s an affectionate moment that she and her sisters kept alive by reuniting year after year for the holidays, each bringing a batch of their own homemade cookies to share.

“In spite of time and distance, the tradition has continued with my own daughters, Kelly, Leslie, and Lindsay,” says Susan. “They helped me when they were young children, when they came home from college, and even now that they are all married and have children of their own.” Sharing the experience, the girls would all agree, only enhances a family bond.

After the final dusting of powered sugar settles, and the remaining sprinkles have nestled into a freshly frosted cookie, the treats are then packaged as neighborly gifts or thoughtfully placed in breakrooms to be shared with appreciative coworkers.

Over the years, the annual affair has been a simple reminder for Susan and her daughters of the values of teamwork, “of taking part in something bigger than themselves, not to mention a chance to pass along some basic baking and kitchen skills,” says Susan. “It provides a fond memory that they will look back on and enjoy, over and over again.”

More than a memory, though, the Smiths’ yearly cookie fest has become a part of their lives. Recently, when Susan was house-hunting, daughters Lindsay and Leslie accompanied her. As they toured a prospective house, their first reaction wasn’t to wonder about the age of the roof, the plumbing under the sink, or how well the furnace worked. Instead, Susan says, “as we stood in the kitchen, Leslie looked at her sister and me and said, ‘I can see us making cookies in this kitchen.’ ”

Cream Cheese Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen*

½ cup margarine
1 3-ounce package of reduced-fat cream cheese
1/3 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
food coloring (optional)
1½ cups sifted all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
sprinkles (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 F. Cream together margarine, cream cheese, and sugar until fluffy. Add egg yolk, vanilla, and beat well. (Add food coloring here if desired.)

2. In separate bowl, sift flour and salt together. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture in 3 additions.

3. Place cookie dough in cookie press and make desired shapes on ungreased cookie sheet. Add sprinkles if desired. Bake for 8-10 minutes. [Note: Watch carefully as cookies burn easily.]

*Amounts may vary depending on cookie press shape(s).

Nutrition Facts

Per two-cookie serving:
Calories: 101
Carbohydrate: 12 g
Protein: 2 g
Sodium: 137 mg
Fat: 5 g
Saturated Fat: 1.5 g
Fiber: 0.3 g

Chocolate-Covered Cherry Cookies

Makes 3 to 4 dozen

Cookies

½ cup margarine
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1½ teaspoons vanilla
1½ cups flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon baking soda
36-48 maraschino cherries, drained (reserve liquid)

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream together margarine and sugar. Beat in egg and vanilla.

2. In separate bowl, sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture in 3 additions.

3. Make 1-inch balls with dough and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Push cherry into center of ball and bake 8-10 minutes. Frost (if desired) when cooled.

Frosting (optional)

1 cup chocolate chips
½ cup sweetened condensed milk
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ teaspoons cherry juice (from reserve)

1. Melt chips and milk.

2. Add salt and cherry juice. (If frosting becomes dry, add more juice.)

Nutrition Facts

Per two-cookie serving (with frosting):
Calories: 229
Carbohydrate: 35 g
Protein: 3 g
Sodium: 155 mg
Fat: 8.5 g
Saturated Fat: 3 g
Fiber: 2 g

Zesty Orange Cookies

Makes 2½ dozen

Cookies

11 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 large egg
½ cup (4 ounces) freshly squeezed orange juice (grate the fruit’s zest before juicing)
2 tablespoons grated orange zest (the rind of 1 large or 2 small oranges)
2 cups whole-wheat flour

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease 2 baking sheets or line with parchment paper.

2. Cream together butter, sugar, vanilla, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Beat in egg, then orange juice and zest. (Mixture will look curdled.) Add flour, beating until smooth.

3. Drop dough by the tablespoon onto prepared baking sheets.

4. Bake, reversing pans midway through (top to bottom, bottom to top), until edges begin to brown, about 10 minutes. Remove cookies and let cool on pans for 10 minutes. Transfer to cooling rack.

Frosting

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated orange zest (rind of 1 small orange)
¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon orange extract
18 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice

1. In medium bowl, beat sugar, butter, orange zest, extracts, and salt until combined. Beat in orange juice till mixture is spreadable.

2. Spread icing on cookies after cooled, using 1 teaspoon per cookie.

Nutrition Facts

Per two-cookie serving:
Calories: 263
Carbohydrate: 39 g
Protein: 3 g
Sodium: 163 mg
Fat: 10.5 g
Saturated Fat: 7 g
Fiber: 2 g

Holiday Breakfast Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 2 dozen

1 cup whole-wheat flour (plus a pinch more depending on moisture of dough)
1½ cups of rolled oats
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cinnamon
½ cup honey
½ cup canola oil
1 tablespoon molasses
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup golden raisins
½ cup pecans

1. In large bowl, mix dry ingredients. In medium bowl, mix wet ingredients.

2. Mix wet ingredients with dry mix. Stir in raisins and nuts. Add pinch of flour if mixture is too wet. Refrigerate dough for 20 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 335 F. Drop by teaspoonful onto parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Press dough down with fork. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Per two-cookie serving:
Calories: 278
Carbohydrate: 34 g
Protein: 4 g
Sodium: 179 mg
Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 1 g
Fiber: 3.7 g

For the Joy of Cookies The Saturday Evening Post

Spritz Cookies

Post Editors — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 14:00:07 +0000

“This recipe is from my Grandmother, Margaret Peche. I have fond memories of baking these cookies with her every December as a child. My favorite job was decorating them with red and green sugar—and of course eating as many as she would allow!”

Spritz Cookies

(Makes about 8 dozen cookies, depending on size)

1 pound butter, softened
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 egg yolks
1 egg white
1 teaspoon almond extract
5 cups flour
Red and green sugar crystals for decoration

Preheat oven to 375 F. In large mixing bowl, cream butter. Add sugar; blend well. Stir in eggs and almond extract. Gradually add flour. Using a cookie press, form dough into desired shapes onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm but not brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. While still warm, sprinkle with colored sugars for decoration.

Helpful hint: When making pressed cookies, if dough is too soft and not making a sharp design, place it in the refrigerator briefly to harden a bit. If dough is too stiff and won’t move through the press, let it stand at room temperature briefly until it is the right consistency.

Spritz Cookies The Saturday Evening Post

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

Post Editors — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 14:00:57 +0000

Cherries offer year-round delight in these scrumptious oatmeal cookies. Check out this signature recipe from the Blacksmith Inn on the Shore in Door County, Wisconsin, where 2,000 acres of cherry orchards keep local restaurants well-stocked.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

(Makes 32 cookies)

1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
2 teaspoons cinnamon
4 tablespoons milk
4 cups oats
1 1/2 cups dried cherries

Preheat oven to 325 F. In a large mixing bowl, cream together shortening and sugars. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla. Combine next five dry ingredients. Add dry mixture to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Mix in oats, then cherries. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 12 minutes.

Recipe courtesy of the Blacksmith Inn on the Shore.

Cherry Oatmeal Cookies The Saturday Evening Post