An unusual Christmas Cookie

[imported_delmonico]

This is one, an old family recipe that I've posted other places before and thought you might enjoy it. I added what my knowledge and reseach indicates about this cookie.

This was one my Grandma Carman always baked at Christmas. Dad thinks she got the recipe from her grandma.

I did something few will do, I put this up as Grandma left it to us, but I did a little back engineering cause I know it has been updated because it calls for shortening. My Grandmother would have understood, she loved history also.


Orange Delight Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour
3/4 cup of English walnut meats finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream the shortening and brown sugar. Beat the eggs, vanilla, orange peel, baking soda and sour milk creamed shortening. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and the nutmeats, stir into the mixture. Make a drop cookie and bake in a 350 degree oven till done. (10 to 12 minutes) While hot spread with the topping mixture.

Topping
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup white sugar

This will make a grainy topping.

More historically correct would be to use half lard and half butter. My guess (educated?) it that this recipe evolved in the time just after the Civil War from a basic cookie recipe, most likely with black walnuts. The added orange and the English walnuts adds to my theory that it was developed for a Christmas treat when these became some what easy to obtain over in wester Iowa. My Grandmother never made it with black walnuts even though she raised them in the orchard.

The original cookie most likely used baking soda or even pearlash, depending on the time period it was used. The extra baking powder raises it even more, making it cake like.

If my grandmother got this from her grandmother, she may have been the originator of it. My grandmother passed on in 1991 and was born in 1904, her grandmother should have been about the right age to have originated it, because the oranges would have been hard to get in most of the US till about the time of the Civil War.

I have never seen another recipe quite like this one, if your family has a similar one or you try it and enjoy it let me know

[WeHeartLabs]

Adding this to my Christmas Baking this year, del. I will let you know how they come out.

[Dakkerdog]

How do you sour the milk? it sounds wonderful, and would like to try it, just not sure how to sour the milk.

[imported_delmonico]

Either set it out on the counter away grom Lab tonguges for a day or add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar to a cup of sweet milk that is 1 teaspoon short. Cultured buttermilk will also work

Old recipes often use salertus (baking soda) and a acid to for CO@ to raise a product. That is what makes me think this one has been updated a bit where it uses both that process and baking powder. It makes a lighter product than just the sour milk/baking soda.

[Jinx]

Glen, do you know about how many cookies this makes?

[imported_delmonico]

I don't remember I think about 24. I didn't make them last year cause I was too sick to eat them and no one else in my house likes them.

[Jinx]

Really? They sound so good!

I'm trying to decide between this and the pumpkin bread at Christmas. Maybe I'll make the pumpkin bread for the gaggle of inlaws and save these for my mom's visit. I'm sure she'll love them.

[WeHeartLabs]

Whenever a recipe calls for buttermilk, I just add vinegar to regular milk.

[imported_delmonico]

My step-daughter don't like nuts and my wife don't like the ornage peel. My kids will if they are here, but they both remember eatin' them at Great-Grandma's so it's a memory for them. I have to make them this year to take to mom's for Christmas cause we lost Dad this spring and he always made them.