Okay, these might not be the most perfect cookies in the world. They are not perfectly round and some have more colorful décor on the top.
But can we all agree they look good enough to eat? I can assure you they were delicious and more importantly, made with lots of love.
And they’re very soft as sugar cookies are meant to be.
If you follow along, you may have noticed that I love making cookies. They usually are prepared for friends at local nursing homes. Confession: I don’t know these people.
But two friends I do know visit about 12 people each week between two locations. I make the cookies and pass them to my two friends who take them to the residents. I may not know the residents’ names, but they are my friends all the same.
I try to make a different flavor of cookie each week for the residents. I usually post the cookies here at the blog and so far, there are 25, many of which were new to me.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
Crackerjack — I plan to make Crackerjack Cookies this weekend for a church party.
This recipe for ‘Easy Sugar Cookies’ comes from ‘A Second Serving’, A collection of West Virginia Recipes, published by the Junior League of Charleston West Virginia, Inc. 1984.
I belong to a Facebook group called ‘Junior League Recipe Box.’ It specifically features Junior League Cookbooks from around the USA and the people who love making recipes from them.
I have to admit, the Junior League Cookbooks I have collected– about half a dozen including ‘Aw, Shucks’ from Fort Wayne Indiana, are fantastic! The recipes are simple and useful and they cover foods from their parts of the country, such as the south. I plan to feature more of them here in future posts so stay tuned!
The two friends who distribute my cookies assure me the nursing home residents love them. That makes my heart swell with gratitude. I so want to bless people with my baking efforts.
Even if you’re not a professionally trained baker, you can make food that will delight people. Find a recipe you like and give it your best efforts. If you’re a praying sort, pray over them. I pray for my baking and cooking while I’m preparing the food—first, that I don’t waste food by making mistakes (I have done this too often!) and second, that the right people will enjoy them.
My Notes:
This recipe published 40+ years ago calls for using oil. Today, a lot of people object to this kind of ingredient for health reasons. To provide clarity here is an excerpt from an article about nut oils from the Cleveland Clinic:
“What about using seed oils at home? Should you throw away that bottle of sunflower oil on your shelf? Experts have varied opinions, but Zumpano believes they should be limited in home cooking. “They’re not necessarily the greatest choice in oil,” she states. “But when used in moderation in home cooking, they’re not nearly as bad for you as when you’re getting them in ultra-processed foods, fast foods and fried foods.”
If you do want to cook with seed oils at home, try to use them infrequently and in small amounts. Buy versions that are pure and unrefined, which aren’t as processed and still have some of their nutrients.
In conclusion: Limit your oil use, in general
In general, it’s best to take it easy on oils, both seed and otherwise. This is especially true when you go out to eat, as most restaurants use cheaper cooking oils — which is to say, refined cooking oils.
But instead of specifically focusing on banishing seed oils from your diet, Zumpano reiterates that your first step should be trying to cut out ultra-processed foods as much as you can.
“Eating whole, unprocessed foods at home gives you a little bit of a buffer when you go out to eat,” she encourages. “If you’re able to maintain and manage what you eat most of the time, then the other times won’t have as big of an impact on your health.”
Read the full article here: https://health.clevelandclinic.org/seed-oils-are-they-actually-toxic
Make your own decision about using oil in your cooking/baking.
**
1984 Frosted Halloween Sugar Cookies
½ cup butter
½ cup oil
½ cup sugar
½ cup powdered sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cream of tartar
½ teaspoon salt
Frosting and décor of your choice—I used buttercream from Wal-mart.
Cream butter, oil and sugars.
Add egg and vanilla
Sift together dry ingredients—flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, salt.
Add to creamed mix; mix well.
May let dough chill 1 hour and roll into walnut size balls. (I chilled mine overnight)
Drop by teaspoonfuls onto cookie sheet and flatten with glass bottom dipped in sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
Allow to cool before applying approximately ½ teaspoon frosting colored with food coloring (I used gel) and top with seasonal edible décor.
Yield: 4 dozen 1” cookies
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