My friend Christina is a thrift store wizard. She can find the most amazing things that I would walk right past. Last month, she presented me with this:
Brought to you by your local electric co-op…
It is utterly amazing. A quick check on the inside cover reveals the publication:
It even has that “1960” font going on.
Yes, that’s Christmas 1960. What was the world like then? JFK was just elected president, a loaf of bread was $.20, Chubby Checker introduced “The Twist”, and The Flinstones first aired on television.
A little math on my end reveals that my grandmother–a 4’10” beauty full of sass and crass–was 45 that year. Though that’s still 10 years older than I am right now, I decided I’d try and channel Grandma to make this recipe.
The first three ingredients show just how far removed we are from the olden days. I beg you to find me a recipe still in circulation that calls for this:
Nothing says love like butter and cream.
(We’re in black and white now because it’s 1960. Duh.)
I even sifted the flour, as written. I normally don’t do that unless I’m combining it with something else. I don’t know what difference it makes in 2014, but I did it anyway.
I mixed it all up (in my crazy mixer from the future), and let it chill in my brand new sea-green refrigerator/freezer.
When I was ready to start, I put my apron on, poured a tumbler of scotch and lit a cigarette. (Just like Grandma surely did.)
*scotch and cigarette may have been written about in hyperbole.
Rolled out the dough and cut it with a round biscuit cutter. Poked them a few times with the tines of my best silver. And then lit another cigarette and yelled at my kids to get off the green feather couch.
One thing I forgot to do was cover both sides in sugar, which may explain why these turned out more like biscuits. I blame the scotch.
Threw them in my oven and reapplied my lipstick.
I don’t know why they came out oval when they went in as circles. If you know, please tell me.
They look circular here, but I’m telling you, there were ovals everywhere.
To make the filling, I found Marty McFly and he brought me back this crazy contraption. I hear it’s to grind coffee beans, but I used it to grind almonds for cookies.
I threw all of the filling ingredients together. And in the interest of not having an entirely beige cookie, I added some of 1960s best bright toxic food coloring. (Or 2014’s non-toxic, yet equally bright equivalent.)
The filling before Red Dye #2 was added.
Somewhere around then, I poured myself another scotch and fed my poodle. I also read the minutes of the last Glenview Botanical Society meeting.
I piped some filling on a cookie/biscuit and topped it with another cookie/biscuit.
Perfect for my next Junior League meeting!
Oh here, see it in color.
Even though I forgot to dip the cookies in sugar, I thought the sweetness of the almond filling made up for it.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a luncheon to get to.
—
I like the reminder about flameless electric cooking.
Cookies today: 16 (but remember, they are sandwich cookies)
Cookies this year: 246
(**Dedicated to my late grandmother, Eleanor Frank, who would be both appalled and amused by my imitation of her.)
24 Days of Cookies 