Nutty Nuggets - Gramma Hoover's Recipes

These cookies were one of Gramma's favorites. I remember her talking about them and making them. They are tasty, little, melt-in-your mouth type cookies, and they were a part of our family gatherings from time to time.

This recipe came from another missionary lady that was a friend of Gramma's when they were serving in Tanzania years ago. :-) I don't remember if Mrs. Dilworth's first name was Faith or something else.

Nutty Nuggets

1 C. butter
4 Tbs. sugar
pinch of salt|
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 3/4 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. finely chopped peanuts 
   (1 C. if other nuts used - also good with pecans)

Put together in order given.
Form into small balls - about 1 to 3/4 of an inch in size.
Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and bake at 350F until they are set and a little golden around the edges. (This is purely by memory on my part, as the recipe doesn't have instructions, as you can see in the picture!)

Roll in powdered (icing) sugar after they are baked. (I think while they are still a little warm, because that makes the sugar stick a little better? Not sure.)

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Note:  I've changed it to finely chopped peanuts because you don't want peanut butter - which is what finely ground peanuts would basically be in our current thinking.

I have to kind of love the fact that recipes were often trimmed down to the bare essentials back in the day because they all knew how long you baked cookies on average, etc. Among women who did their own cooking and baking it was just expected that you would know. :-) 

Cowboy Cookies Tutorial

Another yummy recipe from Mary's Nest traditional foods kitchen.

Cookie recipe to print.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

In a medium bowl, mix together:

2-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

In a large bowl, mix together:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 tsp. cinnamon (optional)
1 12-oz bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips (sometimes I add more than this :-))
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 375F.

Mix the "wet" ingredients together until everything is moistened, then add in the flour. Mix everything together until well-combined (I've only done this by hand with a big fork, but I suppose you could use one of those big mixers if you don't like mixing stuff by hand. I can't promise the results will be the same though!)

Drop by level tablespoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake at 375 for 9-11 minutes.

Thanks to Elisabeth M. of Texas

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The sugar has not been reduced in this recipe, so feel free to make adjustments if you wish.

Simple Raisin Tarts

I first published this recipe here in March of 2012. These are really easy to make and I hope someone enjoys them! :-) There is no added sugar, but they are very sweet because of the raisins.
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These raisin tarts are one of my dad’s favorite “cookies.” My Gramma Hoover used to make them for him as a special favor. Since she is no longer here to do this, I have done it for him a few times (not nearly enough). I made a batch for his birthday this past February (2012). :-)

These are super easy to make. So much so that we have no recipe. We just make them. One thing that you will need is a tart pan or a Madeleine pan, however, it is possible that a muffin/cupcake pan might work if you only press the dough into the lower part of the cups. I used a Madeleine type pan for these since our tart pans had to be discarded a few years ago. (My Madeleine pan makes round shells.)

Simple Raisin Tarts

Make up a single or double pie crust recipe of your choice. (I made these with a whole wheat – all purpose flour mixture I think.) Cut into small pieces and press into the tart pan.

Bake till just slightly browned around the edges. Do not over bake (especially if you use whole wheat flour). Allow to cool slightly in the pans and then remove gently to a rack to cool.

In a sauce pan place a generous portion of raisins – 1 1/2 to 2 cups. Barely cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer till quite soft, adding water as necessary to prevent burning. You may like to add a bit of cinnamon, or at the end you may add some orange flavoring.

When the shells and filling are both cool, spoon the filling into the shells. They are ready to serve!

NOTE: If you end up with too much raisin filling, use it as a spread on graham crackers or toast. If you don’t have enough for your number of shells, simply fill the extras with a little jam or jelly.  We never used a recipe, we just “winged it” with the extra or lack thereof. :-)

By the way, if you don’t want raisin tarts, just make the shells and fill them with jam or jelly to start with. Delicious! :-)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pizza

This is a favorite recipe of my family.  We have made them for years.  I don't remember now where the recipe originated.

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Peanut Butter Pizza

1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. peanut butter
1/2 C. packed brown sugar
1/4 C. sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 C. all purpose flour
3/4 C. whole wheat
2 C. miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 C. chocolate chips

Cream butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs and vanilla. Stir in flour and mix well. Pat into a 15x10x1 inch backing sheet. Bake at 375F for 12 minutes. Remove and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Allow to rest a couple minutes then spread the chocolate around with a knife. Sprinkle with marshmallows. Return to the oven for 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned.

Remove from oven, cool to room temperature on a wire rack, then cut into bars.

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These bars also freeze well. It’s probably best to refrigerate first, then layer the bars in a sealable container with wax paper between the layers to prevent sticking. I like to box them up in portions that I know will be useful at some future time: 4, 6 or 8 pieces to a box. This is handy for pulling out when we’re having a family time, or a few guests. Also, it keeps us from eating up the whole pan in just a few days – think “too many sugar calories”. :-) Plus, it makes my work go farther and saves time and energy at a later date.

[Originally posted here 6/2010.]

Danish Butter Cookies

[Originally published Nov. 2010. Edited]

After I’d expressed a desire for homemade cookies several times, one evening my husband suddenly decided that we would make some (despite the lateness of the hour).  Was I ever glad he did!  We chose this recipe (the origin of which I no longer know) since I didn’t have any brown sugar at the time.  It is quite simple, but doesn’t make a lot of cookies.  One warning – once you’ve eaten these homemade Danish butter cookies you’ll probably never really like the store bought variety again!

Also, you might try adding some shredded coconut or dipping half of each cookie in chocolate coating to make them a bit fancier or to offer variety.  I think that you could refrigerate them and put them through a cookie press as well to make prettier shapes.  They taste great without any of this, though, so it may not be worth messing with!  Simpler is often better in my opinion. :-)

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1 C. butter
1 egg
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract  (or vanilla)
2 C. flour (or 1 C. white whole wheat and 1 C. white flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and almond extract and mix. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add a little at a time to the butter mixture until it is all mixed in.

Roll into walnut size balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork or spoon.  Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.  Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Allow to cool slightly on the sheet before moving to a rack.  Completely cool before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Note: These cookies freeze well.

Card Making: The Edible Cookie Card

Since my dad's birthday is this coming up I thought it would be fun to share a card my mom made for him some years back.

Mom and I made Dark Pfeffernusse for my dad for his birthday that year.  It is his favorite cookie of all time.  It is also connected with his Mennonite background, so it has fond memories for him as well. While we were making them, somehow the idea came up that Mom should make letters to spell "I love you!" to make him a special "greeting card."  :-)  We baked them and they were stored at my house so that Daddy wouldn't stumble across them before his birthday.

You might be able to do this with peanut butter cookie dough, but it needs to be something that doesn't rise or spread a lot while baking.

To make the card, we covered a piece of sturdy cardboard with foil and then Mom "glued" the cookies to it with some plain white icing.

I made a little card for her to add using one of my own designs made on the computer (with one of my own photos), and she added a card with her signature.

As you can see from this picture, my dad quite liked his card.  Who wouldn't like an edible birthday card made with one's favorite cookies?  Haha!  :-)

Chocolate No Bake Cookies

 

This is an old family recipe.  My family has eaten a lot of these over the years – for more than one generation.  I love the simple way old recipes are sometimes written.  They get straight to the point and don’t bother with all the “expanded” directions.  Obviously they were written in a day when women were expected to know the basics. :-)

Someone told me that these are also called “Haystacks” or something like that.  Some alterations that have been made in our family over the years include using coconut instead of nuts and using extra dark cocoa powder (pictured above) instead of regular.

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No Bake Cookies

In a heavy sauce pan mix:

2 C. sugar
6 Tbl. cocoa powder
1/2 C. butter
1/2 C. milk

Bring to a rolling boil, stirring often, and remove from heat.

Stir in:

3 C. quick oats
2/3 C. chunky peanut butter OR chopped nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix thoroughly and drop by spoonsful on waxed paper to cool.

Almond Butter Cookies

 

This recipe came about as the result of allowing my almond butter to get too old.  It was near it’s expiration date and we hadn’t even opened the jar yet!  I started with a peanut butter recipe and made a lot of alterations, including doubling the recipe.  You may wish to half it for a single recipe.  You may also use peanut butter in place of the almond butter and then use 2 tsp. of vanilla extract instead of the almond extract.  Enjoy!

Almond Butter Cookies

2 C. butter
2 C. almond butter
2 2/3 firmly packed brown sugar
2 – 3 tsp. almond extract
6 eggs
3/4 C. white whole wheat
1 C. oats
4 1/4 C. all-purpose flour
4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. coconut flakes

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, almond butter and sugar.  Add almond extract.  Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.  Add whole wheat, oats, salt and baking soda, mixing well.  Add all-purpose flour gradually mixing till is well combined.  Shape into 1 inch balls and place about 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. (I recommend lining it with parchment.)  Dough should be slightly sticky, so you may need to flour your hands.  Flatten with a fork.  Bake at 375F for 7-8 minutes or until golden.  Remove to wire racks and cool.  Store in air tight container.

Yield:  This makes a large batch.  I did not count them.  You can half the recipe for a single batch.

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These cookies kept well in the cupboard in a sealed container. They seemed to me to stay fresh longer than the average chocolate chip cookie.

Also, I pressed some of the cookie balls onto squares of parchment and stored them in the freezer.  The dough froze well, but I recommend bringing the cookies completely to room temperature before baking them.  This does not take long if you set them out on the cookie sheet preparatory to baking.

Me in my new-this-year cotton apron. :-)

Leftover Oatmeal Cookies

I had quite a bit of leftover oatmeal recently, but I wasn’t that keen on making Cooked Oatmeal Cake.  The thought crossed my mind that there should be a recipe for making cookies from cooked oatmeal, so I looked it up online and sure enough there was!  It looked good, though, as usual with a few changes. ;-)  (I reduced the sugar already, in case you like to do that with cookie recipes.) 
Most of my family here enjoyed these quite well.  Ahem!  There was one dissenter who takes exception to raisins in his cookies, but that makes more for the rest of us, right?  My husband liked them at any rate, and after all, that’s what counts for me. ;-)

2 C. brown sugar
1 C. butter
3 eggs
2 C. cooked oatmeal
2 C. all purpose flour
2 C. white whole wheat (or regular whole wheat)
[Note: You can use 4 cups of all purpose flour.]
3 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. vanilla
3 C. chocolate chips
1 C. coconut
1 C. raisins
Cream sugar, butter, eggs and cooked oatmeal.  Mix in the flour, baking soda and salt; then the coconut, chocolate chips and raisins.  Scoop onto baking sheets by tablespoonsful about 1 – 1 1/2 inches apart and flatten slightly. Bake at 375F for 10-15 minutes or until cookies are set and starting to brown slightly.  Allow to cool on baking sheet about 5 minutes before removing to racks.
(I put mine on parchment, so I had no trouble with them sticking.  I don’t know if the baking sheets need to be greased.  The original recipe said nothing about it, but it was a little short on instructions.)
These cookies freeze well.

Links – It’s All About Snickerdoodles

Snickerdoodles are one of my favorite cookies. They are not only delicious, they are nostalgic for me. My Gramma made them. Maybe both of my grandmothers made them. My mom has made them. I have made them for my own family and have probably made them for my husband.
But, why limit them to cookies? Just for fun I thought I’d see how many different snickerdoodle recipes I could come up with and here’s the results! :-)
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
Snickerdoodle Cake
Snickerdoodle Muffins
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches
Snickerdoodle Chex® Mix
Snickerdoodle Cheese Cake
Snickerdoodle Pie
Snickerdoodle Blondies
Snickerdoodle Cookie Dough Dip
Snickerdoodle Pie Crust (This recipe calls for gluten-free packaged cookies. Use your own snickerdoodles if you don’t want the packaged ones.)
Snickerdoodle Trifle (This recipe is full of poison, er, I mean dangerous chemicals with all the sugar-free ingredients and Cool Whip. However, with a few changes – regular pudding mixes and real whipped cream – I think you could make it more health friendly instead of diet friendly, whatever that is.)
Toffee Chocolate Chip Snickerdoodles
Whole Wheat Snickerdoodles
Peppermint Snickerdoodles
Gluten-free Snickerdoodles (That should make someone happy!)
And, last but not least, my own Gramma’s recipe:
Gramma Hoover’s Snickerdoodles

Stained Glass Windows

This recipe came from my Gramma.  She really liked these and was famous for them.  If you are looking for a sugary, yummy, “non-sensical” treat that includes chocolate, marshmallows and coconut this might just be the perfect fit. :-)  (Be sure to check my added instructions at the bottom.)
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Stained Glass Windows
Melt in large pan: 1 12 oz. pkg. dark chocolate chips
1 stick butter
Cool till medium warm.
Add: 1/2 C. chopped nuts (optional)
1 sm. pkg. colored miniature marshmallows
Form into log and roll in powdered sugar and shredded coconut. Wrap in waxed paper.
Refrigerate and slice when hardened.
Best kept in fridge or very cool place.
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These instruction are a bit minimalistic, so I’ll add some comments here. 
First, you want to cool the chocolate till it’s not so hot that it will melt the marshmallows while you’re mixing them in, but not so long that it starts to thicken up.
Secondly, it’s a challenge to “roll” this mess in powdered sugar and coconut.  What I do is sprinkle the powdered sugar and coconut generously onto a sheet of waxed paper and then spoon the mixture along one (short) end and form it into a log.  Then I try to carefully roll the log across the waxed paper, lifting the paper to make it “go”.  You don’t want to roll it into the waxed paper until you have it rolled across the sugar-coconut otherwise you’ll end up with the sugar-coconut rolled into the waxed paper, which is a waste.  It won’t get much on the roll that way. :-)  If you’re having trouble getting it well covered just pick the sugar-coconut mixture up in your fingers or with a spoon and sprinkle it on the bare spots.  Once you have the log fairly well covered, wrap the waxed paper around it and pop it in the fridge.  One word of advice: lay it on a relatively even spot or you’ll end up with a curve in you log. ;-)  Also, I find a bit of tape helpful in keeping the side and ends shut.
I make smallish logs and usually can get two from a recipe.  You can store the extras in the fridge for quite some time.  I can’t remember now if I’ve ever frozen them.  I think I have.

Dark Pfeffernusse

This is my dad’s all time favorite cookie.  A batch of these will last him a good long while since he made a habit long ago of eating them very slowly in order to make them last as long as possible. :-)  They are German in origin and Daddy used to receive a box of them every Christmas from a Mennonite friend in his home church.  He says he could usually make them last till Easter. 
If they are hardened properly they will last a very long time and stay fresh.  Consequently, these would probably be good cookies to send to troops overseas.  They are also best eaten with a hot drink such as tea or coffee if you don’t happen to like gnawing hard cookies.  My husband calls these “dog biscuits”. :-)  They are not quite that hard, but they can be pretty “firm”. 
  This particular batch was made with candied citrus peel in it that Mom and I made recently.  It made the cookies moister and they never did get really hard.
Dark Pfeffernusse
Mix:
1/2 C. shortening
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 C. molasses
mixture of 3 drops of anise oil and 1 Tbl. hot water
Mix:
3 1/3 C. flour
1/2 tsp. soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/8 tsp. white pepper
(Increase spices if you like a stronger taste.)
Mix dry ingredients into wet gradually with hands.  Knead dough until right consistency for molding.  Roll into strips and cut into bite-size pieces with scissors.  Bake on greased baking sheet at 350 degrees about 8 minutes.  If you want them hard allow to sit out till hardened.

No Bake Chocolate Caramel Butterscotch Cookies

These are some of my favorite cookies, really they are more candy than cookie. To quote the modern expression, they are “seriously good”. I have liked them for years, but I never was able to make them well – until now! For the first time recently they turned out for me. This is a milestone in my life. :-)
Thus, I would like to dedicate this post to:
- Mom, because she had the recipe first, and could only make them somewhat better than I could.
- my sister who could make them quite well every time.
- my brother, who after tasting my new version of these cookies, declared they were 1/8th of an inch from being as good as cheese cake (high praise from him). He nearly went delirious when I suggested using them as topping on cheese cake.
- my sister in-law who wanted the recipe so she can make these for my brother.
- Sarah P., who never made good biscuits till her 10th wedding anniversary when she finally stopped following the recipe. That memory helped me break out of this recipe and finally get them to turn out, after years of futile efforts that ended in either dry crumbs or gooey “spoon cookies”.
:-)
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This is the original recipe, which may turn out just fine for you if you have my sister’s touch. :-)
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No Bake Caramel Cookies
Combine in sauce pan:
2 C. sugar
3/4 C butter
2/3 C. evaporated milk
Bring to a rolling boil, stirring frequently.
Remove from heat and add:
1 4 oz. pkg. instant butterscotch pudding mix (may be 3.5 oz.)
3 1/2 C. quick-cooking rolled oats
Mix thoroughly. Cool 15 minutes. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper-lined tray.
Makes 5 doz. cookies
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This is the way I made them when they finally turned out for me, and the ones which my brother about swooned over. ;-)



No Bake Chocolate Caramel Butterscotch Cookies
3/4 C. of butter
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 3.5 oz. pkg. cook and serve butterscotch pudding mix
3 1/2 cups mixed quick-cooking rolled oats, old fashioned rolled oats and unsweetened coconut
2-3 handfuls of bittersweet chocolate chips (optional)
Place butter in heavy sauce pan and heat over lowish heat till almost completely melted, stirring often. Add sweetened condensed milk and bring to a rolling boil over medium heat stirring constantly. (This is important as it will start burning quite easily.)
Remove from heat. Add butterscotch pudding mix and stir well. Add oats and coconut and mix well. Allow to cool about 5-8 minutes. Add chocolate chips and stir briefly. Do Not stir them in well or they will completely melt and your cookies will be something a little different – the butterscotch will not be as distinct of a flavor.
Drop on a waxed paper lined cookie sheet by teaspoonfuls. Allow to cool completely before serving. I recommend putting them in the refrigerator or freezer for a while, especially in warm weather.
Store in frig in a sealed container with waxed paper between layers. I put some in the freezer, but I don’t know how they will turn out when thawed. Probably they will be fine.
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If you try my version of this recipe please let me know how it turns out for you. I’m hoping this may be a more foolproof method that will turn out well with more consistency, at least for those of us who don’t have the “magic touch”. :-)

C's Chocolate Chip Cookies

 

1 C. softened butter
1 C. palm shortening (non-hydrogenated)
1 C. sugar
2 C. packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
4 eggs
4 1/2 C. all-purpose flour (try putting in half white whole wheat)
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. salt
2 C. chocolate chips
1 C. chopped pecans (optional)


In large mixing bowl, cream butter, shortening, sugars and vanilla.  Beat in eggs.  Combine dry ingredients; add to creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips and nuts. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto greased cookie sheets.  Bake at 350F for 10-12 min. or till lightly browned.  Remove to racks to cool.
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I have had these come out a bit too thin at times.  If this happens (they spread out too far) add a little flour to stiffen them up.  I got this recipe years ago from Country Extra magazine and made a few changes.  Also, I would not try to reduce the sugar.