Period Christmas Cookie

[Delmonico]

I posted this in the Gen. Disc. and Tall Tales in our Newbrasskey thread, but thought it would be nice to post here.

I did something few will do, I put this up as Grandma left it to us, but I did a little back engineering cause I know it has been updated because it calls for shortening.  My Grandmoter would have understood, she loved history also.


    Orange Delight Cookies

3/4 cup shortening
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup sour milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange peel
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups flour
3/4 cup of English walnut meats finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream the shortening and brown sugar.  Beat the eggs, vanilla, orange peel, baking soda and sour milk creamed shortening.   Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and the nutmeats, stir into the mixture.  Make a drop cookie and bake in a 350 degree oven till done. (10 to 12 minutes)  While hot spread with the topping mixture.

    Topping
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel
1/3 cup orange juice
1 cup white sugar

This will make a grainy topping.

More historically correct will be to use half lard and half butter.  My guess (educated?) it that this recipe evolved in the time just after the Civil War from a basic cookie recipe, most likely with blackwalnuts.  The added orange and the English walnuts adds to my theroy that it was developed for a Christmas treat when these became availible.  My grandmother never made it with black walnuts even though she raised them in the orchard.

The original cookie most likely used baking soda or even pearlash, depending on the time period it was used.  The extra baking powder raises it even more, making it cake like.

My grandmother got this from her grandmother, she may have been the originator of it.  My grandmother passed on in 1991 and was born in 1904, her grandmother should have been about the right age to have originated it, becuse the oranges would have been hard to get in the US till about the time of the Civil War.

I have never seen another recipe quite like this one, if your family has a similar one or you try it and enjoy it let me know.

[Four-Eyed Buck]

Hey, Del! Susie had me print this one out. think she might use it...YUM........Buck