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| From Betty Crocker's Cookbook via Grannie Pantries |
I am back in my childhood home town at the moment, and staying in our old family house. I do not have time to do any cooking, but I have been skimming through my mother's old cookbooks occasionally and being reminded of recipes enjoyed when I was young. One of those recipes is Galaxy Cookies from a 1973 edition of Betty Crocker's Cookbook, one of my first and very favorite cookbooks. I used this cookbook so much I got a copy for my mother. When I came across the cookie recipe again in my mother's copy, I just had to post it here. I was lucky to find the original picture from the cookbook for these cookies on the Internet, as it is one of the more original recipe illustrations I have ever seen and I really wanted to show it here!
This recipe would be a fun one to make for Christmas, especially if you can find those round foil-wrapped Christmas chocolates that were so ubiquitous when I was a child because they are the perfect size to use as the center for these molded cookies. When I get home I am going to make a batch of these nostalgic treats for my husband. I hope you enjoy these cookies as much as I did when I was young!
Galaxy Cookies
1/2 C. butter, softened
3/4 C. confectioner's sugar
1 T. vanilla
food coloring (optional)
1 1/2 C. flour
1/8 tsp. salt
Dried fruits, nuts, and/or chocolate pieces (about the size of a large shelled macadamia nut)
Icing (below)
Cream together the butter, sugar, vanilla, and a few drops of food coloring if desired. Stir together the flour and salt. Work the flour into the creamed mixture until the dough holds together (if the dough is dry, add in 1-2 T. light cream).
Mold the dough by tablespoonfuls around the pieces of fruits, nuts, and/or chocolates. Place the cookies about one inch apart on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes, until set but not brown. Cool completely. Dip the tops of the cookies in the icing. If desired, decorate with coconut, nuts, colored sugar, sprinkles, or any other topping. Makes 20-25 cookies.
Icing: Combine 1 C. confectioner's sugar, 2 1/2 T. light cream (or 1 1/2 T. milk), and 1 tsp. vanilla until smooth. Stir in a few drops of food coloring if desired. For chocolate icing, increase the light cream to 3 T. (or milk to 2 T.) and stir in 1 ounce of melted and cooled unsweetened chocolate.
Variations:
Brown Sugar - replace the 3/4 C. confectioner's sugar with 1/2 C. brown sugar (do not use food coloring).
Chocolate - stir one ounce of melted unsweetened chocolate into the butter mixture (do not use food coloring).
My grandmother Theresia made these and we called them goofballs. She added an egg to the dough to hold it together better, filled them with chopped dates and walnuts. For Easter, they were shaped into ovals (egg shaped) and baked.
ReplyDeleteI bought the bright orangish-red Betty Crocker cookbook shortly after I married [found in a used bookstore], and added the tip about 1 egg to the recipe page.