Cookie Contest Winters
In my story May 23, I included the first place winner of Grandma’s Greatest Cookie Contest, held May 17 at Independence Village.
Here are the second- and third- place winners—and after judging the contest, these are just about as good as the first-place cookies.
Orange Cookies
Icing:
1½ cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoon rated orange rind
1 teaspoon butter, softened
1 tablespoon strained orange juice, or more
Cookies:
1 cup shortening or butter, or a combination (See Note)
1½ cups granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup strained orange juice
Grated rind of 1 orange
4 cups flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sour milk (or 1 cup milk plus 1 teaspoon white vinegar)
1. For the icing, combine powdered sugar, orange juice, grated orange rind and 1 teaspoon butter. If needed, add more juice to get a spreading consistency. Set aside.
2. For the cookies cream the shortening until light and fluffy. Add sugar and eggs; beat well. Add strained orange juice and grated rind.
3. Sift flour. Measure 4 cups flour and mix with salt, baking soda and baking powder. Add half the flour and sour milk to the batter. Mix well. Add remaining flour mixture and milk and mix well.
4. Grease and flour cookie sheets. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Check that batter is firm enough to avoid spreading; to test, drop a teaspoon of batter onto cookie sheet. If the batter spreads and flattens, add a couple of tablespoons of flour to thicken. Drop batter from a teaspoon onto the cookie sheets. Bake 8 to 10 minutes, just until set but not brown.
5. Let cookies cool slightly. While still slightly warm, ice with the icing.
Note: Besecker used all butter in the cookies for the contest.
Recipe adapted from one submitted by Connie Besecker of Clemmons, second place in Grandma’s Greatest Cookie Contest.
Oatmeal Chockfull of Goodness Cookies
2 sticks butter or margarine, softened
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
½ cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal (uncooked)
2 cups dried cranberries
1 cup chopped walnuts
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Cream butter and sugar until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla; beat well. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. Then stir flour mixture into egg mixture. Stir in oats, cranberries and walnuts.
3. Drop by tablespoonfuls on an ungreased cookie sheet.
4. Bake 10 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown.
Recipe submitted by Candace Davis, third place in Grandma’s Greatest Cookie Contest.