This is a recipe from "Betty Crocker's Cooky Book," 1963. It's on page 55. I am convinced this book was created to sell Gold Medal Self-Rising Flour. Every recipe includes a note at the end on how to use Gold Medal Self-Rising Flour instead of regular flour. Anyway, I picked up a copy of this book in the library's free pile, and it's been fun to look through. The visual design of the book is so very '60s. The recipe I made was "Monkey-Faced Cookies." We decided to try it tonight partially because it looked like fun and partially because when I opened my malt powder to try the other recipe on the same page, I found it was hard as rock. So I couldn't make malt cookies.
Here's what the recipe says:
"Monkey-Faced Cookies
Children can hardly wait until these cookies are out of the oven to see the comical expressions that the raisin faces have taken on in baking.
1/2 c shortening
1 c brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vinegar
2 1/2 c Gold Medal Flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
raisins
Heat oven to 375 (quick mod.). Mix shortening, sugar, and molasses thoroughly. Mix milk and vinegar; stir in. Measure flour by dipping method (p. 5) or by sifting. Stir dry ingredients together; blend into sugar mixture. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 2 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Place 3 raisins on each for eyes and mouth. Bake 10 to 12 min., or until set. Allow to remain on baking sheet 1 min. before removing. The faces take on droll expressions in baking. Makes about 4 doz 2 1/2" cookies. Note: If you use Gold Medal Self-Rising Flour, omit salt and reduce soda to 1/4 tsp."
What I did different from the instructions:
My rule of thumb is if a cookie recipe doesn't have at least 4 c of flour in it, it won't make enough for my family of 10. So I doubled this recipe.
I put in 1/2 c shortening and 1/2 c butter instead of 1 c shortening.
I didn't have molasses, so after some research online I decided to replace it with dark brown sugar mixed with corn syrup to make about 3/4 c.
I used Kroger unbleached flour, as usual, instead of Gold Medal because it costs half and does the same thing.
I put in a tiny pinch of nutmeg so that my 4 yo could measure something herself, and two tsp of vanilla because in my universe nearly all baked goods are improved by vanilla.
And, after reading up on the effect of eggs in cookies, I added two eggs. Apparently eggs help cookies not be crumbly, and I don't like hard crumbly cookies. I also didn't have the molasses to make it all sticky and chewy, so I needed a replacement.
To make up for the extra liquid, I had to add 1 extra cup of flour.
And, as usual, I reduced the baking time to 7-8 minutes because, in my universe, cookies are supposed to be soft or chewy unless they are shortbread.
I let the kids help put the raisins on, and they could not understand the concept of "three raisins per cookie," so some came out looking more demonic than droll, studded with "eyes" everywhere. But overall, the cookies were really tasty with a great texture and, as promised, entertainingly droll surprise expressions. Doubled, the recipe made about 6 dozen.
Here's what the recipe says:
"Monkey-Faced Cookies
Children can hardly wait until these cookies are out of the oven to see the comical expressions that the raisin faces have taken on in baking.
1/2 c shortening
1 c brown sugar (packed)
1/2 c molasses
1/2 c milk
1 tsp vinegar
2 1/2 c Gold Medal Flour
1 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
raisins
Heat oven to 375 (quick mod.). Mix shortening, sugar, and molasses thoroughly. Mix milk and vinegar; stir in. Measure flour by dipping method (p. 5) or by sifting. Stir dry ingredients together; blend into sugar mixture. Drop rounded teaspoonfuls of dough 2 1/2" apart on ungreased baking sheet. Place 3 raisins on each for eyes and mouth. Bake 10 to 12 min., or until set. Allow to remain on baking sheet 1 min. before removing. The faces take on droll expressions in baking. Makes about 4 doz 2 1/2" cookies. Note: If you use Gold Medal Self-Rising Flour, omit salt and reduce soda to 1/4 tsp."
What I did different from the instructions:
My rule of thumb is if a cookie recipe doesn't have at least 4 c of flour in it, it won't make enough for my family of 10. So I doubled this recipe.
I put in 1/2 c shortening and 1/2 c butter instead of 1 c shortening.
I didn't have molasses, so after some research online I decided to replace it with dark brown sugar mixed with corn syrup to make about 3/4 c.
I used Kroger unbleached flour, as usual, instead of Gold Medal because it costs half and does the same thing.
I put in a tiny pinch of nutmeg so that my 4 yo could measure something herself, and two tsp of vanilla because in my universe nearly all baked goods are improved by vanilla.
And, after reading up on the effect of eggs in cookies, I added two eggs. Apparently eggs help cookies not be crumbly, and I don't like hard crumbly cookies. I also didn't have the molasses to make it all sticky and chewy, so I needed a replacement.
To make up for the extra liquid, I had to add 1 extra cup of flour.
And, as usual, I reduced the baking time to 7-8 minutes because, in my universe, cookies are supposed to be soft or chewy unless they are shortbread.
I let the kids help put the raisins on, and they could not understand the concept of "three raisins per cookie," so some came out looking more demonic than droll, studded with "eyes" everywhere. But overall, the cookies were really tasty with a great texture and, as promised, entertainingly droll surprise expressions. Doubled, the recipe made about 6 dozen.
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