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.

Tonight I will be home kissing the one I love, but for now we are far apart. I look forward to the real coffee kisses when I get home. Until then, I can post this recipe for a cookie version. These really are a lovely coffee meringue type cookie but with corn flakes for a bit of a different texture. Read the directions carefully.

Coffee Kisses

4 egg whites
3 1/2 cups sugar
3 tablespoons powdered coffee
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup crushed corn flakes

Beat egg whites until stiff enough to stand in peaks, but not dry. Sift sugar and mix with powdered coffee and salt. Slowly beat half of the sugar mixture into egg whites, beating all the while. Then lightly fold in the remaining sugar. Stir in the crushed corn flakes. Drop from a spoon (about a 1/2 inch apart) onto a well greased cookie sheet. Bake until delicately brown at 275 degrees from 15-30 minutes depending on the size of the kisses. Remove from pan while still warm.

(Recipe from Mary Meade Recipes One Hundred Favorite Cooky Recipes ~1962)

Since I am enjoying the charms of the Peach State, Hotlanta and a state known for its nuts peanuts–how about this recipe for an interesting new peanut cookie recipe.

Peanut Sticks

Batter:
2 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup boiling milk
1 1/2 cups sifted flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Frosting:
2/3 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons sweet cream
2 cups peanuts, ground fine

Blend eggs, sugar, and butter. Add milk and stir until smooth. Sift flour and baking powder and stir into mixture. Divide batter into two 8 inch square cake pans, which have been buttered. Bake at 375 degrees 200-25 minutes. Then cool and cut into one inch by two inch sticks.

To make frosting, cream butter, add sugar and cream and blend. Spread frosting on all sides of sticks and roll in ground peanuts.

(Recipe from Mary Meade Recipes One Hundred Favorite Cooky Recipes ~1962)