Thursday 16 February 2012

Building a well with some cookies

The boys' school has decided it is going to run a series of small fundraisers to build a well for a community in, I believe, India.  The have had a "hat day" where the students get to wear a hat in class if they pay $1.00.  They have a few other things planned, all for $1.00.

Tomorrow, they are having a bake sale...with items ranging from 25 cents to $1.50...so, tonight, I am making cookies.  Chocolate Malt Cookies.  This is one of my all time favourite cookie recipes.  It is from this book...
...from 1985.  Don't you love vintage cook books.  I will show you some images from my favourite page, and then I will share the recipe.



Yep, uh-huh...that is a doll making the gingerbread cookies.  Seriously, I love vintage cook books.

OK, so the recipe:
1 1/4 cups all purpose flour (I use half all purpose, and half whole wheat)
1 cup instant sweetened chocolate flavored malted milk powder (I use Ovaltine)
1tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter (I use about 3/8 cup)
1 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed (I use 3/4 cup, lightly packed)
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 cup undiluted evaporated milk
1 cup chopped walnuts (which I omitted as there is a nut allergy at the school)

Sift together the dry ingredients.  Set aside.
Beat butter, sugar, egg, vanilla until fluffy.  Beat in milk until smooth.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients.  Stir in nuts, if using.
Refrigerate at least 1 hour, covered.
Drop by rounded teaspoons, 2 " apart on lightly greased cookie sheet (or silpat liner).
Bake at 350F for 10 - 12 minutes until set but not browned.
Remove to wire rack to cool completely.
It says that it makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies, but I beg to differ.  Tonight, I made small cookies and it made 72 for a double batch...so 3 dozen per batch.

I had forgotten that they had to go in the fridge for an hour, so while I was waiting, I licked the beater I made little flags for the cookies:
using these stickers for the printer...they are address labels:
Avery 8160 if you are interested.  I just lined up the edges so that is was kind of looped in half, put a toothpick in the opening, and finished folding them together.  I actually tried printing them in colour first but they look much better in black and white for some reason.

They will be packaged 2 in each paper cupcake wrapper (kids will be touching this stuff, so I thought it would be much more hygienic to have paper wrappers than have kids pawing all over the cookies - oh, you may not know that about me yet...I am a germ-a-phobe!  A big time, gross me out, I can't believe you are going to touch/eat that, germaphobe).

Like this:
Ta-La!  Now, if you will excuse me I am off to eat some cookies tuck the kids into bed.  Good night all.

2 comments:

  1. It just lifts my heart to know your boys' school is doing such a wonderful thing for that town. We are so blessed here, but why is my eye always on the trinket or trifle that I don't have, while others do not have clean water! Thank you for your selfless act.

    And yes, I do ADORE vintage cookbooks. I am not much of a collector of things, but in the earlier days of my marriage, we would go on road trips and I got my hands on a bunch of those cute booklets put out by food companies in the 40s and 50s. The images are so charming.

    A happy weekend to you, Natalie.

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  2. I have a copy of the Betty Crocker Cookie Book from the 1960's-- the one with the red cover & spiral binding. I remember looking through my mom's as a child, and now my kids love to look through my copy. :) Vintage cookbooks are the best!

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