Snickerdoodles

This fall, I did something new -- I taught a graduate class in nonprofit communications at a university in Manhattan. Much of the curriculum was devoted to developing effective writing skills, using social media and the like. But part of the class was about honing one's personal and professional "brand" -- a 21st-century buzzword that simply means reputation. For the final class, I wanted to demonstrate a memorable way to reinforce personal branding. So I baked some Snickerdoodles from a vintage recipe (and told them about my blog, of course).  Let's just say the cookies were very, very well received.

Snickerdoodles (the best-named cookie ever) are rather old-fashioned, simple and delicious. What makes them special is the final roll in a cinnamon-sugar mixture. Although not traditional Christmas cookies, I doubt anyone would be disappointed if they appeared in a box of holiday baked goods.

In addition to being a classic, or perhaps because of it, they are very easy to make.  This recipe, as are many vintage recipes, is mostly a list of ingredients with the instruction: "Mix as usual."  My method is listed at the end of this post.

Start by creaming the butter with sugar, adding the eggs...

and adding the dry ingredients until a dough forms.

I ran out of time, so I stored the dough in plastic bags in the refrigerator overnight. Chilled dough is also easier to work with.

After removing the dough from the refrigerator, roll the dough into small balls.

Then roll each ball around in a small bowl filled with cinnamon and sugar.

Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. I pressed each cookie a bit.

The students, below, with the cookies. (Though it was the last class, they still had to submit their final exam!)

Below is the recipe card and below that is the method I used.

Snickerdoodles

1 c. butter (at room temperature)
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 t. baking soda
2 t. cream of tartar
2 3/4 c. all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 T each of sugar and cinnamon

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Add the eggs, one at a time, combining well.
Mix the baking soda, cream of tartar, flour and salt in a separate bowl, blending well.
Add dry ingredients to the large mixing bowl and combine. (Do not overmix; this will result in a tough cookie.)

Refrigerate dough until firm enough to handle.
Combine the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl.
Roll dough into teaspoon size balls and then roll each in the sugar and cinnamon.
Bake at 350 F for 8 to 10 minutes. Check underside of cookies -- if they're golden brown, they're done.

Ruth Hamilton Cookies

If you yearn for a crisp coconut brown sugar cookie, then these are your ticket to happiness. I didn't love them (I like chewier cookies) yet found them very, very addicting.

You can feed this habit with ease -- Ruth Hamilton (whoever she was/is) created a recipe that can be put together quickly and simply.  You just need the simple ingredients, a wooden spoon and a saucepan.

I found this vintage recipe in a large binder filled with family recipes dating back to about 1920. As you can see at the end of the post, a younger generation family member carefully copied the original recipe, and may others. (Somehow this family treasure trove ended up on eBay. So much for tradition.)

These cookies are a dream to make. Butter is melted, sugar is added, and the rest of the ingredients are simply added to the saucepan.

Adding the eggs and vanilla smooths this out.

After the liquid mixture cools, the dry ingredients are introduced.

Mix it all together very well.

You can drop these cookies from a teaspoon or, as I did, scoop them with a small cookie scoop (or roll the dough in your hands).

Bake and watch them disappear.

Here's the original recipe, and below that, the recipe copied over by a daughter or granddaughter.

Production notes: I followed this recipe exactly, but used half light brown and half dark brown sugar (mostly because that's what I had on hand). Using light brown sugar will make the cookies lighter in color. I used old-fashioned oats, and Angel Flake coconut. And butter, of course, instead of shortening.

Chocolate Drop Cookies

Tragedy struck the Cake Bakes kitchen on Saturday -- our dishwasher broke.

Now that may not be a big deal to some people, but to me it's a deal breaker.  We never hand wash dishes; we don't even have a dish drainer.  If the dishwasher is full, we just leave the dishes in the sink until the next load.  (Now my secret is out.) I could live without any appliance except my beloved dishwasher.

Luckily, we weren't hosting a dinner party, but we were expected to bring dessert to our friend Alec's party in Chelsea that night. So I had a new criteria in mind as I searched through my recipes -- one that didn't require a lot of kitchen equipment and utensils in its preparation.  And it had to be chocolate, as Allen, another dinner party guest, is a big fan of chocolate (and faithful reader of this blog).

Cake was out, as it's like making two desserts, what with the cake and the frosting.  Brownies seemed too boring, and so I was pleased to find this c. 1950s old-fashioned chocolate drop cookie recipe.   They were soft, rich, delicious and typical of mid-20th century recipes, not overly sweet.

Below is a photo of all the equipment required: A chef's knife, a one cup and a 1/4 cup dry measuring cup, a two-cup glass measuring cup, one Kitchen Aid bowl and beater, a cutting board, a butter knife, measuring spoons and one mixing spoon.

And with those few utensils, plus this cooling rack, I got this:

I frosted some of the cookies with a mixture of confectioners sugar and milk (pictured at top) and left some plain.  These are perfect for the cookie jar (if they last long enough to make it in).

The recipe is below.  I followed it exactly, using butter for the shortening and two ounces of Scharffen berger unsweetened chocolate instead of a supermarket brand.  If you don't have buttermilk on hand, you can make a close enough substitute by placing one teaspoon of lemon juice or white vinegar in a measuring cup, adding about one cup of milk and let the mixture sit about five minutes until it thickens.

Graham Cracker Cookies

Some people might consider a graham cracker a cookie.  After all, it's quite sweet all by itself.  But if you want to transform these old-fashioned crackers into an addicting confection, then by all means follow this vintage recipe by Dot, found on a recipe card in Olive Facey's vast collection.

I brought these graham cracker cookies to a breakfast meeting with my agent.  Yes, I have a book agent, a lovely, encouraging and exceedingly patient one. No, I have not yet written one word of the proposal because each time I begin, I suddenly am overtaken with the urge to bake and abandon the computer for the oven.  Luckily he has many other clients who actually write proposals that he can sell.  (Zach -- I will write it, promise!)

These graham cracker cookies are a variation of another recipe in Olive's collection called chocolate bark, in which a caramel mixture is poured over soda crackers (and then topped with chocolate).  The famous matzoh butter crunch recipe is a derivative of that, as I suspect are these graham cracker cookies, leading one to ask, Is there nothing new under the sun?

But whatever the genesis, these are delicious and very easy to make. First line a pan (I used a 9 x 12, but next time I'd do a 9 x 9) with aluminum foil. Place the graham crackers on top.

Place the butter (even though the recipe calls for Oleo, use butter) and brown sugar in a saucepan and heat (while ignoring the dirty stove top).

Pour the hot liquid mixture over the crackers and top with finely chopped nuts.  I forgot to photograph this step, but you can see from the photo below (taken after baking), there wasn't quite enough topping to cover the crackers.  No matter, just use the "good" parts and you can still eat the naked grahams.

After removing the pan from the oven, let the cookies cool for a while in the pan until they stiffen up a bit.
Cut into serving pieces and enjoy.