COOKIES

There are many many thousand cookie recipes out in the world today. Each country has their own type or style of cookies and we may come back to the cookie theme later. Now, I'd like to talk about another love of mine. Yes, you've guessed it, CAKE!!!!!
I have plans to be buried with a chocolate chip cheesecake. Preferably with a fork in my hand but if not, that's okay. I've eaten cheesecake with my fingers before and been okay with it.
There are several types of cake and before we explore them, we should find out where the idea of a cake came from, besides Heaven of course!
Cake is a term with a long history (the word is of Viking origin, from the Old Norse kaka, which to me does NOT sound like a good word describing cake!!!  )and denotes a baked flour confection sweetened with sugar or honey; it is mixed with eggs and often, but not invariably, with milk and fat; and it has a porous texture from the mixture rising during cooking.
Europe has always been the center of cakes.No other language has a word that means exactly the same as the English 'cake.'
The continental European gateau and torte often contain higher proportions of butter, eggs and enriching ingredients such as chocolate, and often lean towards pastry rather than cake. Central and East European items such as baba and the Easter kulich are likewise different.
The western tradition of cakes applies little in Asia. In some countries western-style cakes have been adopted on a small scale, for example the small sponge cakes called kasutera in Japan. But the 'cakes' which are imported in Asian are quite different from anything occidental for examples, see mooncakes and rice cakes of the Philippines.
The history of cakes, goes a long way back. Among the remains found in Swiss lake villages were crude cakes make from roughly crushed gains, moistened, compacted and cooked on a hot stone. Some modern survivors of these mixtures still go by the name 'cake', for instance oatcakes, although these are now considered to be more closely related to biscuits by virtue of their flat, thin shape and brittle texture.
Ancient Egypt was the first culture to show evidence of true skill in baking, making many kinds of bread including some sweetened with honey. The Greeks had a form of cheesecake and the Romans developed early versions of fruitcakes with raisins, nuts and other fruits. These ended up in 14th century Britain. Chaucer mentions immense cakes made for special occasions. One was made with 13 kilograms of flour and contained butter, cream, eggs, spices, currants and honey.
Molds, in the form of cake hoops or pans have been used for forming cakes since at least the mid-17th century. Most cakes were eaten accompanied by a glass of sweet wine or tea. At large banquets, elaborately decorated cakes might form part of the display, but would probably not be eaten. By the mid-19th century the French were including a separate "sweet" course at the end of the meal which might include 'gateau.'
During the 19th century, technology made the cake-baker's life much easier. The chemical raising agent bicarbonate of soda, introduced in the 1840's, followed by baking powder ( a dry mixture of bicarbonate of soda with a mild acid), replaced yeast, providing a greater leavening power with less effort. Another technology breakthrough was more accurate temperature controlled ovens.
In most of  Europe and North America a well-developed tradition of home baking survives, with a huge repertoire of cake recipes developed from the basic methods. The ability to bake a good cake was a prized skill among housewives in the early to mid-20th century, when many households could produce a simple robust, filling 'cut and come again' cake, implying abundance and hospitality.

Although the popularity of home baking and the role of cakes in the diet have both changed during the 20th century, cakes remain almost ubiquitous in the western world. They have kept their image as 'treats' and maintain their ceremonial importance at weddings and birthdays.
Betcha' you didn't know all that when it came to cake? I honestly did not know most of it either until I started looking. With the invention of cake mixes and pre-made icing, cake has been popularized and at times, too commercialized. A friend of my sister didn't even realize one could make cakes without a mix and had never heard of a "scratch" cake.
Although mixes are easy and can even be fun, I think a really special occasion deserves a special cake. Chime in and tell me your thoughts regarding cake. Mixes versus scratch!

The Other Grandma's Cookies

Grandma H's chocolate Drop Cookies
(As copied directly from her cookbook dating back to the 1930's. Including all of the mis-spelled words)


2 C. sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 C. shortening
2 C. sweet milk
4 Eggs, well beaten
1 tsp. vanilla
6 ozs. chocolate
1 1/2 C. nuts
3 C flour
1 1/2 C. rasins
4 tsp. baking powder


Cream shortening and sugar, Add eggs, and meltred chocolate, add milk, vanilla, nuts, rasins and mix well. Add baking powder, flour, salt, mix and sifted together. Drop by teaspoon on greased cookie sheet. 350 degrees for 12 minutes.

Grandma's Cookies

Applesauce Cookies
1/2 C Shortening
2 eggs
1 C Applesauce (add 1 tsp soda)
combine 2 C flour, 1/2 tsp cloves, 1/2 tsp nutmeg, 1/2 tsp salt and 1 C sugar.
Mix everything together, add 1 C nuts and 1 pkg of chocolate chips.
Drop from a tsp onto a greased(cooking spray works, you know, like, PAM)
bake for 9 to 12 min at 400 degrees Fahrenheit, not Celsius.

Stuck in a Cookie Mood

I'm still stuck in kind of a cookie mood so I'm including my favorite cookie pop recipe. These are cooked with a popsicle stick inserted in them and dipped in chocolate for a little more pizzazz. I've brought these to several different events and all have been given numerous compliments. I haven't had time to take a picture of a batch but I will as soon as I possibly can.
There's something special about coming home from school as a kid to warm cookies that makes it memorable as an adult.
Both of my grandmothers baked cookies. My Grandma J was famous for her applesauce chocolate chip cookies. She kept them on a counter in a cookie jar that was metal and painted a bright orange. My aunt, Arva, lives in the same house now that Grandma J has died and I'm certain there is a cookie jar, if not the same one, on her counter as well.
When we were kids we'd all run to the cookie jar to see if it was full (it always was) and then to Grandma J to ask permission for a cookie or two.
Grandma H made chocolate drop cookies that were one of my favorites. I had the chance to live a few years with my grandparents and she taught me to make those. I always ended up doubling or tripling the batch and making far too many. The first time we did it was more of an accident really. I was giving the amount of ingredients to Grandma H as she made the dough. I was used to cooking for 12, she only 2 or 3 so our wires somehow got crossed and we ended up with somewhere in the neighborhood of seven hundred cookies. Since she had been in the great depression she was NOT about to throw a single one away. We ate them for months. That was the last time I made cookies with Grandma as I moved back home with my parents and she died not much later. The story still makes me laugh. I'm including both recipes with the cookie pops.  Let me know which one is your favorite. Carren

Cake Pops

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup candy-coated milk chocolate pieces or chocolate chips.
20 lollipop sticks
Directions

In a large bowl, cream together white sugar, brown sugar, and butter. Add vanilla and eggs; mix well. Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt; stir into butter mixture. Finally, mix in rolled oats. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Roll dough into 2 inch balls. Place balls on a cookie sheet, Press down slightly, and insert a lollypop stick into each one. These will spread a bit so don 't put too many to a pan. Bake 8 to 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool completely. The cookies will be chewy, but firm.

After cookies are cooled make the following and dip the cookies either completely or part way. I usually dip them in dark or milk chocolate and then use white chocolate to decorate them. Dipping the cookies in chocolate makes the cookies look so much better. Never annot get enough chocolate!!!!

1 (12) oz. Chocolate chips
1 Tbs. Shortening

Melt chips in double boiler or small sauce pan on lower heat. Mix in shortening as they melt. Dip cookies somewhat rapidly as the chocolate will begin to firm back up. If this happens, I usually just microwave the chocolate for a few seconds.