When last we saw the apple cookies, the recipe was a runny, half-burnt failure. I noted that we already have a fruit cookie recipe ready to receive apples. The recipe is even called fruit cookies, so it's perfect for making, well, fruit cookies.
| Apple Cookies 1 cup butter, margarine,* or shortening 2 cups dark brown sugar 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves 1 tsp nutmeg ¼ tsp salt† 1 tsp baking soda 3 eggs 2 tbsp cream 1 tsp vanilla 4 cups flour 1 cup raisins 1 cup finely chopped apples (no need to peel) White frosting Heat oven to 375°. Have greased cookie sheets ready. Cream the butter, and sugar, spices, salt, and baking soda, beating until light and fluffy. Then beat each egg in thoroughly, one at a time. Add the cream and vanilla, beat well. Next, mix in the flour, stirring just until blended. The dough should be firm enough to shape in your hands. If it's sticky, add more flour. Then add the raisins, nuts, and dates. Roll into 1 to 1½-inch balls. Place 3 inches apart on the pan. Gently pat each one to make it flat and about a half-inch thick. Bake 10-12 minutes. When cool, top with white frosting. These are better the next day. The spices get stronger. *Use the margarine that comes in sticks, not the spreadable kind that comes in tubs. †The original recipe calls for ⅓ teaspoon of salt. But I don't know anyone whose measuring spoons come with a one-third teaspoon. Rounding down to a quarter teaspoon won't hurt a thing. Omit the salt if using margarine or salted butter.
Adapted from a handwritten note, The Woman's Club of Fort Worth Cook Book, 1928 (original recipe here)
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I added enough apples to get the same (ish) fruit-to-dough ratio as the previous cookies, and made no other change to the recipe.
As with the original apple cookies, we chopped the apples very finely. Even though the recipe was a failure, cutting the apples into extremely small pieces got them completely cooked in the cookies' short baking time.
Our cookies came out perfect, which I already knew would happen since I've made this recipe before. However, the apple pieces, which had taken on a dull color in the oven, made the cookies look subtly yet unfortunately corn-fed.
I have to give credit to Mrs. John Stevens, the creator of the apple cookie recipe. She realized that her cookies (such as they were) looked like specimens that some enterprising ornithologists would analyze to determine a species' diet. Her solution: Hide the cookies with icing. They look really cute with a cover-up, don't they?
I didn't expect to say this, but the apples really didn't change these cookies. You might think the apples softened them, or that they added a lovely tart flavor. They didn't. The cookies were neither better nor worse for having apples in them. I guess if you can convince yourself that blueberry muffins count as a serving of fruit, you can pretend that the apples make these cookies a great source of vitamins.
So if you have some iffy-looking apples on the counter, chopping them into cookies is not a bad way to keep them out of the trash can. But I can't think of any other reason to make cookies with them.
I like the note at the end about how the recipe could provide a way to use up less-than-ideal apples. I get so annoyed about how big segments of food culture keep emphasizing the importance of using only the freshest, best-quality ingredients and then also get worked up about how much food is wasted! If we want to cut back on food waste, we need to find ways to make the less-than-ideal edible! Haranguing people about always using the best quality is part of the cause of the problem... Granted, I tend to highlight the worst-sounding old recipes, but one thing I really admire about old cookbooks is that they tend to be much more practical about using what you've got.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'll get off my soapbox now. XD
We do! I hate food waste. I hated food waste even with pre-pandemic grocery prices. Sending all that farm labor and truck fuel to the city dump pisses me off.
DeleteOn a less rant-y note, I am amused at people who use only the freshest ingredients for things that are very obviously meant for salvaging uneaten food. Like, the restaurants that boast that "our croutons are made with freshly-baked bread!"
I don't know if you watch Mrs. Crocombe videos on YouTube, but I was hooked. So I went to the library and got her cookbook. The writers go into a lot of detail about waste prevention. Even in upperclass Victorian houses, they repurposed their off-prime leftovers-- and not just by letting the lower-rank servants eat the dregs of the table. I love how many ways they devised to turn stale cakes into something fit for the formal dining room. How many of us today try to salvage a stale cake?
That definitely sounds interesting! I might have to check it out.
DeleteThat's one way to get the kids to eat more fruit. I still chuckle at the drink boxes that advertise what percentage of juice they contain. Sugar squeezed out of an apple and sugar extracted from cane, beets, or corn all has the same structure. All that changes is how you can advertise them and how much money you can charge for it. Figure out how to get some oatmeal in there and you could have a marketable breakfast cookie.
ReplyDeleteAnd if I overbaked them after adding oatmeal, they're granola bars! A healthy, guilt-free snack!
DeleteThough for serious, I stopped buying fruit juice when I accepted that it's basically a flat soda. It was just as disappointing as finding out that blueberry muffins are not a serving of fruit.