We are on vacation this week!

For any one out there who reads this blog, we are taking a little vacation this week. I will do a double post next week!
Thank you for looking!

Root Beer Float Cookies

Summer is here, it is official even if it does not feel like it here in the great Northwest!  My mother's favorite summer drink is a rootbeer float.  The drink translates well into cookie form

Root Beer Float Cookies
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
1 large egg
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon rootbeer extract/concentrate
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350.                                          Beat sugar and butter until fluffy. Add the egg. Beat well. Mix in the buttermilk and root beer extract. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Slowly add the dry ingredients  and mix well.  It says to cover and refrigerate for an hour. (sometimes I skip this and it seems to make no difference)

Use a medium cookie scoop and place cookies on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes.

Frost with vanilla ice cream frosting!

Vanilla Ice Cream Frosting

6 tablespoons butter, softened

4 1/2 cups powdered sugar

dash of salt

6 tablespoons melted vanilla ice cream

a little milk if needed

Combine butter and sugar, add the salt. Add the melted ice cream a little at a time until you get the consistency you want. Add a little milk to thin if needed.

The other option is to just mix the melted ice cream and sugar and use as a glaze. Which is what is pictured below!



Dreaming of the Beach

I need warmer weather. I am tired of the rain. I am tired of being cold.  I need to go to the beach and hunt for Sand Dollars.
These are the next best thing!

Sand Dollar Cookies



2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon almond extract
Sliced almonds
Cinnamon sugar * I used Penzey's cake spice to make Spiced sugar.  about 2 teaspoons to a cup of sugar. You want it rather dark.

Preheat oven to 350

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Set aside

In the mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.  When light and fluffy, add the egg and extracts. Mix well

Gradually add in the flour mixture.

Using a medium cookie scoop, scoop out balls of dough. Dip the tops into the cinnamon sugar. Flatten them a bit with a glass. I had to find one without a pattern on the bottom! Then using five of the almond slivers make a pattern that looks like the indentations on a sand dollar.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes. My oven with the big cookie sheets took 14 or until lightly browned.

Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely

The cookies do spread out a bit. 







Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, with Nuts

This morning felt like fall. Cold, wet and rainy.  I had some extra oatmeal I needed to use, so Oatmeal cookies!  This is from an old Farm Journal cookbook. (1953) Love those books, some of my favorite recipes come out of those.

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

1 cup raisins

1 cup water



3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Simmer raisins and water over low heat until raisins are plump, about 20 minutes. I add some flor di scilia or you can add a little rum to the water if you want. That did add a good flavor.
Drain raisins into a measuring cup. Add enough water to make 1/2 a cups of raisin water. Let cool.

Preheat oven to 400.
In a mixer, mix shortening, sugar, eggs and vanilla.  Stir in raisin liquid.
Ina large bowl sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and spices. I used 1 1/2 teaspoons of Penzey's cake spice instead of cinnamon and cloves. Blend flour mixture into shortening mixture.
Add oats, nuts and raisins.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet.

Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned
Makes 2 1/2 dozen cookies using the large cookie scoop, 4 dozen using the medium scoop

Jam Drops

This is from one of my vintage cook books, and with a few changes it turned out these lovely little drops!

Jam Drops
1 cup butter, softened
6 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
1 cup preserves-- I used Apricot. 10 ounce jar is one shy cup.
2 1/2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped nuts - I used sliced almonds

Preheat oven to 350.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

a mixer, cream together the butter and cream cheese till well blended. Add the brown sugar and cream till light and fluffy. Beat in preserves.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.  Mix into creamed mixture. Blend in nuts.

I used the medium cookie scoop and dropped them onto the prepared pans.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned. Transfer to wire rack to cool.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen using medium cookie scoop





You could use any jam and nut combination that sounds good. Raspberry/pecan, peach/walnut, blueberry/almond.  You can add  one to two teaspoons of cinnamon to have a spiced jam cookie! Those would be good in the fall.