Over the weekend we did the traditional look at all the cookie cookbooks and decide what cookies we will make this year. The kids didn’t really look, they knew what they wanted this year. I suppose I always knew every year the basics of what we would make, but I loved to look through the books anyway.
The following was my father’s favorite recipe. You may note that it is a heavily used recipe by the amount of mess on the page. I am a messy cook. I always have been and often this recipe was one I prepared.
The picture you can’t really see because of the splotches is a line drawing of a “miner” with a pile of gold. He looks more cowboy than miner but what can you do?
This recipe from Sugar Spoon Recipes from the Domino Sugar Bowl Kitchen, 1962
’49ers Gold Bars
1 1/2 cups (11 oz pkg) dried apricots
4 eggs
1 cup firmly packed Domino Light Brown Sugar
1 cup Domino Granulated Sugar (I use 3/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons grated orange rind
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons double acting baking powder
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped walnuts (my family generally used pecans if we had received them from our southern relatives)0
Domino Confectioners 10-X sugar
Soak apricots in water until soft. (You can skip this with the more moist modern type of dried apricots) Drain well; cut into small pieces. (I use scissors for this)
Beat eggs well. Blend sugars and salt; gradually beat into eggs until light and foamy. Add orange rind.
Sift together flour, baking powder and nutmeg; gradually fold into egg mixture. Add apricots and nuts; mix briefly. Spread batter into 2 greased 9″ square pans. Bake in moderate oven 350 for 30-35 minutes or until done.
When partially cool, cut into 1 x3″ bars and roll in confectioners sugar. Remove to cooling rack. If necessary to store bars, place in airtight container with waxed paper between layers; roll again in confectioners sugar before serving. Yield: 36 bars.
