Cookie Swap Time!
And my choice for this year's cookie swap cookie is . . .
My great-aunt Thelma was a finalist in the "drop" category of the Akron Beacon Journal's 2002 Holiday Cookie Collection. My grandmother gave me a copy of the insert with my sweet aunt's face next to her winning recipe, and I've been meaning to try the recipe ever since. When I signed up for the Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap, I thought it'd be a perfect time to try this family recipe. While they may not be a traditional Christmas cookie, Aunt Thelma wrote about the cookie that her "mother made soft, iced Butterscotch Cookies when [she] was a girl, and [she] continues the tradition. 'It has been a favorite at Christmas since I was a child, and I am now 85 years old,'" she wrote in 2002. Aunt Thelma now lives in an assisted care facility, so the best part of this recipe for me was that it made so many cookies (the recipe makes at least 4 1/2 dozen) that I could easily send off the three dozen I needed for the cookie swap and send her a dozen. I remember as a little girl that she used to always send our family a box of Christmas cookies and her lemon poppy seed cake which was wrapped in so much wax paper and Saran Wrap, but it always tasted fresh when it got to us from Ohio. I'm happy that now I can send her some Christmas treats!
The recipe itself was pretty easy to follow, though I'd never used vinegar in a cookie recipe before, so I wasn't sure what kind to use. I settled on a white balsamic, but I think just about anything could have worked. The batter is so light and fluffy that the cookies definitely do "drop" onto the cookie sheet.
Also new for me with this recipe was browning butter for frosting. I usually brown butter with salt in a skillet to then put on top of veggies (like Dad's Green Beans), so I didn't really know what to expect doing it with no salt and in a saucepan. After the butter bubbled for a while (almost like a boil), it then got sort of still, and then it was brown. The result is an icing that tastes more like a caramel than a vanilla buttercream (plus it's called "Golden Glo Frosting"--how can you not love that?).
For the full recipe, click here or read below. I hope to continue my great-grandmother's tradition of making them at Christmastime each year!
Aunt Thelma's Butterscotch Cookies
makes about 4 1/2 dozen cookies
Dough Ingredients:
- 2/3 cup butter, softened
- 1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
Golden Glo Frosting Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 3-4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 3/4 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 c. water
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350.
For the dough: Cream butter and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy, about three minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla.
Combine milk and vinegar in a measuring cup. In a bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Add flour mixture to creamed mixture in three batches, alternating with milk and ending with flour. Stir in walnuts
Drop by teaspoons onto greased cookie sheets (or cookie sheets lined with Silpat or parchment paper). Bake for 12-15 minutes or until tops are golden brown. Transfer to wire drying racks and cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting: Melt butter in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium-low heat until butter begins to brown. Transfer to mixer and gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and vanilla. Add enough water to achieve a creamy spreading consistency.
Frost cookies and allow to dry before storing in an airtight container. Cookies may be topped with a walnut if desired.
2012
2011