SusanWiggs | cookies Archives

December 16, 2014 | 7 Comments

Mine never look this beautiful. Image from hdwallpapers.com

This is the only cookie recipe I’ve ever committed to memory. These are pretty much the best rolled cookies there are. I used to call them “Sailboat Cookies” because for some reason, I was in possession of only one cookie cutter, and it was shaped like a sailboat.

1-1/2 cups pure unsalted butter at room temp
1-1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
3 cups flour

(You can add optional flavorings like lavender, almond oil, lemon extract, etc.) Cream the butter together with the sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla, then salt and flour. Roll and cut. Don’t make these too thin, because they’re very tender and will break (see below). Make them nice and thick. Lay on ungreased parchment lined baking sheets and bake at 325F for about 10 minutes, just until they start turning brown at the edges. Frost with your favorite icing or make a glaze of confectioners sugar mixed with an egg white. Sprinkle on colored sugar.

cookie tiiiime

April 08, 2009 | 9 Comments

“Think what a better world it would be if we all–the whole world–had cookies and milk about three o’clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankies for a nap.” —Robert Fulghum

"Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you." --Robert Fulghum

I sort of made this recipe up, based on the typical toll house cookie recipe. Do yourself a favor and whip up a batch today.

1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2/3 cup white sugar
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1-3/4 cup self-rising flour (maybe more if the dough seems too wet)
3/4 cup oat bran or rolled oats
3/4 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup macadamia nuts (coarsely chopped)
3/4 cup dried cherries or craisins

Cream butter and shortening together with sugars. Add eggs and vanilla and beat. Add flour and oats, then stir in the rest of the ingredients. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes at 350F until they just start to brown around the edges.

Also would you please check out the flowers in the photo? My bulbs are kicking ass this year.

Shoot. The theme for April is supposed to be mothers and daughters. I’m totally blanking on how to tie this post into the theme. My mother’s favorite cookie recipe was always “rip into that tube of Oreos and I’ll pour the milk.”

Hey! Tell us about your mom’s favorite cookie recipe in the Comments section!

Best Books of 2007

November 05, 2007 | 3 Comments

Hooray for Jenny Majesky and the Sky River Bakery! The star of The Winter Lodge is celebrating today. The Winter Lodge (large print edition) This book just made the Publishers Weekly list of “Best Books of the Year.”

“Complicated, flesh-and-blood characters inhabit Wiggs’s idyllic but identifiable Lakeshore Chronicles, weaving a refreshingly honest smalltown tapestry of romance, domestic drama, mystery and generations-old Polish recipes.” (November 5, 2007)

In celebration, I think I’ll bake something. These cookies only use one pan, and you don’t even have to get out the mixer. I am raising my cup of tea in the direction of Manhattan today. Thanks, PW!

No Brainer Cookies:
2 tablespoons butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
5 Tablespoons flour
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped nuts
confectioners sugar

Melt butter in square baking pan over low heat. Beat eggs slightly. Combine sugar, flour, soda and nuts. Stir into beaten eggs and vanilla. Pour mixture over butter. Do not stir. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until center is set. Invert pan onto rack. Cut into squares and dust with confectioners sugar.

(optional – stir in things you like, such as chocolate, white chocolate or butterscotch chips, dried fruit, toffee chips or M&Ms)