Ice Box Cookies for Young and Old

While I was baking ice box cookies to take along on next week's Great Potluck Paradise Book Tour of Southwest Minnesota, it occurred to me that this was the perfect recipe to touch the hearts and fill the appetites of both young and old. It certainly was the single most recipe that our taste-testers reacted to with exclamations of: "Oh! I remember these. They were really good!" They still are. What really struck me when I was making them Thursday morning, is what a perfect recipe this is to introduce youngsters to the fun of baking.

I've baked with grandsons Justin and Jack. As anyone who bakes with kids under 10 knows, they can start the project with great interest and enthusiasm, but somehow after 10 or 15 minutes their interest can wander. Kids are kids -- full of energy and needing to go a zillion different places. The two-step process necessary for Ice Box Cookies fits perfectly with their attention span, can easily involve the child in the whole cooking process (including cleaning up!), and teaches a bit of patience, too.

The dough stirs up easily with just a spoon and a little hands-on kneading. Forming the dough into rolls for chilling is right up any kid's level of expertise. The next steps -- a break to wash up the mixing bowl and then wait while the dough chills. Later, maybe even the next day, slice off the cookies and bake. No need to make the whole batch. Bake up one or two sheets (perfect for portion control) and you can put the rest of the dough in the freezer, ready and waiting for the next time you are together. Or you could send the remaining dough logs home for child and parent to make.

As to the eating. They are lovely just as they are, but some experienced (dare I say "older") taste-testers suggest these are prefect "dipped in a container of ready-made frosting or ice cream."

Classic 1950s Ice Box Cookies
(makes 8 dozen cookies -- but not all at the same time!)

2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup melted butter
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups flour
1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Stir the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla together until completely blended. Add the dry ingredients, mixing thoroughly then stir in the nuts. Knead the dough with hands if necessary to get a smooth dough. Divide the dough into quarters. Form each roll into a log about one inch high and one inch wide. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours in refrigerator. (You can firm dough more quickly in the freezer for about 20 minutes.)

When ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease baking sheets. Slice dough about one-eighth inch thick with a sharp knife. Place sliced on baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Copyright 2010 Rae Katherine Eighmey. All rights reserved