It’s been a long time since I packed school lunches but I still like to have a full cookie jar on the kitchen counter when school starts so I have a treat to offer my grandkids and their friends when they stop by. This is one of my favorite cookie recipes because it is so versatile and because the cookies can stand the abuse of being in a lunch sack or in a backpack that sits on the athletic field in the hot sun. I made these when my children were barely old enough to eat cookies and have added a variety of fruits and nuts to the recipe over the years. I’m so lucky to live close to my 7 and 9 year old grandkids and love to have fresh cookies for them when I see them. I have to admit the cranberries and pistachios aren’t their favorite but my mother loved them and I thought the fruit and nut combo was delicious. I added a few more kid friendly flavors at the bottom of the recipe that your kiddos might prefer.
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅔ cup soft unsalted butter
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup finely chopped nuts and dried fruits, your choice
- Sift flour with baking powder and salt onto a sheet of waxed paper. Set aside. In a large bowl of an electric mixer beat butter until light. Gradually beat in sugar. Add egg and vanilla and continue beating until very light and fluffy.
- At low speed, beat in the flour mixture. Add chopped nuts and fruits, mixing well to combine.
- Turn out dough onto lightly floured surface. Divide in half. With hands, shape each half into a roll 7 inches long. Wrap each roll in plastic wrap. Refrigerate until firm – about 8 hours, or overnight before slicing and baking. Rolls of cookie dough may be stored in refrigerator as long as 10 days. Slice and bake as many as desired.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. With a sharp knife cut as many ⅛-inch slices as you want to bake. Rewrap rest of roll; refrigerate. Places slices, 2 inches apart, on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool completely on wire racks.
- CHOCOLATE NUT VERSION: Melt 3 squares unsweetened chocolate over hot, not boiling water. Cool, then add to butter mixture. Then proceed as above.
- LEMON PECAN: Omit vanilla; add 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel to creamed butter mixture. Use finely chopped pecans. Proceed as above.
- ORANGE COCONUT: Omit vanilla extract. Add 1 tablespoon grated orange peel to creamed butter mixture. Omit nuts; add 3-1/2 oz. flaked coconut. Proceed as above.
If you have never made ice-box cookies I hope you give them a try. Calling them “ice box cookies” gives you an idea how long this type of recipe has been around. The McCall’s Cook Book that this recipe came from was published in 1963 and I received it as a shower gift when I was married in the early 1960′s. The pages are brown around the edges and some of them are falling out and, even after all these years, it’s one of my favorite cookbooks. These cookies are great because the dough logs can be frozen and then baked whenever you want a tray of freshly made cookies. Roll the logs in finely chopped nuts or fruits or drizzle the baked cookies with a little powdered sugar glaze if you want to fancy them up.
This post is linked to FOODIE FRIDAY at Rattlebridge Farm.
Go on over for a visit and find lots of great fall recipes.
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{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Love pistachio in baking.. And I love cookies that look like this when we are done~
Saving..:)
Monique recently posted..Food and Drink’s Onion and Brown Sugar Marmalade~
Those are a really pretty cookie. My favorite nuts are pistachio. I could wipe our your whole jar!
How lucky for you to live near your grandchildren and to be able to have treats like this ready and waiting. I love that combo of pistachios and cranberries and want to try this out.
ciaochowlinda recently posted..Zucchini Crostata
These look like they’d be great holiday gift cookies—such pretty colors!
I think my kids would be thrilled if I packed these cookies in their school lunches… they look terrific !
Pam recently posted..Parmesan-Corn Bread Muffins
That truly looks like a classic recipe! I make a white chocolate bark with cranberries and pistachios that’s delicious
Virtually Homemade – Liz recently posted..Apple Pie Muffin
You do come up with very taste tempting treats, and I am having a sugar want at the moment!
Linda recently posted..The Olson House
I’m not much of a sweets eater and haven’t made cookies since I can’t remember when. But these really appeal to me. You are a wonderful grandmother Cathy to have cookies for them. I bet they really enjoy living near you. I was very close to one grandmother and she spoiled me rotten, but boy did I love her. I can still taste her doughnut holes.
Sam
Sam @ My Carolina Kitchen recently posted..Monday Musings – On the Farm
These look wonderful! Your photography is, of course, fantastic….I too, love the McCall’s Cookbook! It is filled with favorites and I believe that I may have found another….
Kate recently posted..Marinated Tomatoes and Cucumbers, Revisited, Kind-of
Cookies are always welcome1
bellini recently posted..Welcome Comfort Foods with Cheesy Hop Soup and Sheet Biscuits
Love pistachios and cookies too, so this is on my to do list. I’m sure your grandkids adore you, esp. when you make them cookies! By the way, that’s an old cookbook and I have it also. Old is good…
Pam recently posted..Tomato and Herb-topped Tilapia
The pistachio/cranberry combo sounds super good Cathy and they look nice and light.
Larry recently posted..Go West Old Man – The Black Hills, SD Again – 2012
I will have to try this recipe as my husband loves pistachios. For some reason my comment on your previous post did not go through. Fall is very much in the air in Maine as our night temps are down in the 30′s and 40′s. Your market photos were great as always.
Karen (Back Road Journal) recently posted..Lobster Fra Diavolo
Marvelous combination, Cathy! And ice box cookies are the best because you can freeze them and slice them when you have company coming. These have such a lovely holiday look to them! Putting them in my Christmas cookie folder right now.
(And no, I didn’t make my own pistachio flour. Found it at Whole Foods. It makes fabulous Madeleines, too.)
Barbara recently posted..Pistachio Torte with Pear Purée
This sounds like a cookie after my heart. I will definitely be trying this one.
Marilyn recently posted..Tomato Soup
these are gorgeous, and what a great combo for a cookie. i’ll have to make these for my kids’ lunch!
teresa recently posted..Deep Dish Bacon Cheeseburger Deluxe
These look delicious, two of my favorites together in one cookie.
Rhonda (@diningalone) recently posted..The Best Thing I Ever Ate – Chicken
These cookies look so pretty and delicious, Cathy….would love to try these some day when I have cravings for cookies:D
Jeannie recently posted..Sarawak Layer Cake – MFF Sarawak
Oh, I want one of those!!!
Lisa @akawest recently posted..Pinecones on Display
They remind me of the cookies my mother used to make
Although, she would never use anything as exotic as pistachios. These looks perfectly tempting, Cathy!
Susan recently posted..Torta Caprese with Lemon Mascarpone
I know I would love these cookies, Cathy! Thanks for the variations, too.
Kitty recently posted..Warm Pimento Cheese Dip
I love old cookbooks like that. Best recipes come from them. And the cookies are perfect – I love how they are so versatile, divide the dough and add everyone’s favorites? Personally I love the addition of dried cranberry and pistachio, those have a few with chocolate chips on hand wouldn’t be a bad idea.
Jamie recently posted..CHOCOLATE BERRY RUM TRIFLE
Love these cookies…they somehow give me a feeling of holidays.
Angie@Angie’s Recipes recently posted..Stuffed Roasted Figs with Goat Cheese and Pistachios
These look and sound delicious. Love the use of the pistachios.
Carolyn/A Southerners Notebook
Haha! Using ingredients that the kids don’t ‘love’ is a GREAT strategy! It won’t stop them from trying one or two – but it probably WILL stop them from pigging out!!
Red Nomad OZ recently posted..Aussie ABC – J is for Jabiru!
Oh, how I love dried cranberries in cookies…and paired with pistachios, too? WOW!!! Beautiful!
Liz recently posted..Beer Margaritas…#SundaySupper, #MexicanFiesta~
Oooo…lovely lovely! Such a lovely baked. I bet I can finish the whole lot of them all by myself. haha…
Kristy
kristy recently posted..Masak Merah With Dory
Yum! Pistachios. These cookies look wonderful!
Digicats {at} Sbcglobal {dot} Net
My fave recipe from this cookbook is the perfect chocolate cake, which my mom used to make me for my birthday. Wish I had the book itself! At least I can give these cookies a try…they look wonderful!