Vintage recipes deliver cookies, memories

When I was still holding forth at the Daily Bee writing the arts news, I was also “moonlighting” a cooking column begun in the ‘80s when I edited “Spotlight” — a weekly insert featuring cookery, gardening, home-making and household information. (I look at my ID picture of those old columns and wonder “where did that girl go”)?!

At that time I received cookbooks, calendars and other nifty stuff from a variety of food-related companies, including the 1992 Crisco American Cookie Celebration recipe booklet, beautifully illustrated (as per our photo). I recently ran across it during a frenzied attempt at making order out of 30 years’ worth of chaotic files, drawers and boxes of such memorabilia — and thought “Wow! There’s some great stuff in here”! By the way, all these old recipes were made with “Butter-Flavor Crisco”- and whether or not it still exists, I don’t know: But real butter or margarine — or a mix of the two — will work just fine. I have used “BFC” in today’s recipes as per the originals.

Herewith, some of my favorite findings. Enjoy!

Pecan Tassies

(2 dozen cookie-tarts)

Crust: 1 3-ounce pkg. cream cheese; ½ cup BFC; 1 cup flour.

Filling:

1 egg, slightly beaten

¼ cup firm-packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon BFC

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup pecan slices

For Crust: Combine cream cheese and the ½ cup BFC in medium bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until blended. Add flour gradually at low speed; mix until well blended. Cover, chill at least 2 hours.

For Filling: Combine egg, sugar, 1 Tb. BFC and vanilla in medium bowl. Stir until well mixed; stir in nuts. Set aside, prepare crusts.

Set oven at 350 degrees. Shape dough into 2 dozen 1-inch balls. Press balls onto bottom and up the sides to top edge of ungreased 1 ¾-inch muffin cups.• Fill each crust-cup up to ¾ inch with egg mixture. Do NOT overfill. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes. Cool 10 minutes in pan; remove carefully, cool on rack.

- If 1 ¾-inch muffin cups are not available, bake in ungreased regular 2 ¼-inch muffin pans. Divide dough into 12 equal balls, pressing onto bottoms and up sides to ¼-inch from top. Fill each cup ¾ full — not overfilling — and bakeat 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Cool as above. Makes 1 dozen tarts.

Hawaiian Delight

Oatmeal Cookies

(4 dozen cookies)

1 ¼ Cups BFC

¾ cup firm-packed brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

1 ½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

2 ½ cups Quick Quaker Oats, uncooked

½ cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (or walnuts)

½ cup raisins

½ cup grated coconut

½ cup diced canned pineapple slices in unsweetened juice, well drained on paper towel

Heat oven to 350. Combine BFC and sugars in large bowl. Beat at medium speed with electric mixer until well blended; beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, soda and salt; add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed, mixing until well blended. Stir in oats, nuts, raisins, coconut and pineapple until evenly blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Oatmeal-Carrot Shaggies

(2½-3 dozen cookies)

2 cups Quick Quaker Oats, uncooked

1 cup finely shredded carrots

1 cup firm packed brown sugar

1 cup flour

1 tsp. EACH baking powder, baking soda, salt

½ tsp. EACH cinnamon, cloves

2 eggs, beaten

½ cup BFC, melted, cooled

1/3 cup milk

1 cup shredded coconut

1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Frosting:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

2 Tbs. real butter, softened

2 tsps. Grated orange peel

1 Tb. plus 1 tsp. real orange juice

Heat oven to 350. Grease baking sheet. For cookies, combine oats, carrots, brown sugar and raisins in large bowl. Combine dry ingredients (flour through cloves) and stir into oat mixture with spoon. Combine eggs, BFC, milk; stir into carrot mixture. Stir in coconut and nuts. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls 2½ inches apart on greased baking sheets. Bake at for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to cooling rack; cool completely.

Make frosting. Combine all four ingredients in small bowl, stirring until smooth and easy to spread. Frost cooled cookies.

Our final offering is for chocoholics only!

Dreamy

Chocolate-Chocolate

Chip Cookies

(Makes 3 dozen)

1¼ cups packed brown sugar

¾ cup BFC

3 eggs, slightly beaten

2 teaspoons vanilla

1 4-oz. pkg. German’s sweet chocolate, melted, cooled

3 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

½ tsp. salt

1 pkg. (11½ ounces) Hershey’s milk chocolate chips

1 10 oz. pkg. Hershey’s Premium Semi-sweet Chocolate chunks

1 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts (or walnuts)

Heat oven to 375. Combine brown sugar, BFC, eggs and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at low speed of electric mixer until blended. Increase speed to high, beat 3 minutes; add melted chocolate, mix at medium speed until well blended.

Combine flour, soda and salt; add gradually to creamed mixture at low speed. With a spoon, stir in chocolate chips, chunks and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoonfuls 3 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until set. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet before removing to cooling rack.

Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com or by phone at 208-265-4688.