Grandmother's Ice Cream Cookies

I wish these were as marvelous as they sound.  But instead of being "lovely for afternoon tea" as described in the recipe, the cookies tasted like, well, a cow pasture.  And I know the culprit -- farm fresh butter that turned out to be a *bit* too assertive for the recipe.

I love butter to the point that in Paris, for example, I spend as much time in fromageries buying butter as in museums looking at art.

But this particular butter (purchased at the wonderful Saxelby's in the Essex Market) while delicious on bread, did not work in these shortbread-like cookies where butter is the star. I wanted to taste sunshine and cream; instead the flavor was of damp meadow grass.

Ironically, this is probably exactly what these cookies tasted like to Grandmother, who surely used farm fresh butter in baking.

The recipe is from Mrs. Osborn's Cakes of Quality, published in 1919.   Those who want to try this, using a mild but good butter (Plugra, for example), will find that the dough is too soft to knead.  I just formed it into a circle and placed between waxed paper in the fridge for a few minutes, before fitting it into a 9-inch cake pan and baking. Next, invite the grandchildren over for some cookies and ice cream.

State of the Cookie Address

Ok, I'll admit it.  I didn't watch the State of the Union Address last night, but I did commemorate the occasion in a sweet way -- I baked gingerbread men cookies in the shapes of an elephant and donkey.

I received these Democratic and Republican Party cookie cutters from my friend (and former boss) Lyn, who planned to give them to me prior to the November 2010 election.  But our dinner kept getting postponed and, by the time I received them in December, I thought I'd have to wait a year to try them out.  But, since there always seems to be a partisan conflict in the news, I didn't have to wait that long.

And because Obama evoked Eisenhower in his speech (thanks NPR!), talking about our current "Sputnik moment," I figured this would be the perfect time to use this c. 1955 recipe for gingerbread men.

This batter is very easy to put together (use butter instead of "shortening"), very spicy and very delicious.   But, it's very sticky, making it difficult to work with, kind of like some politicians.  Even my French Silpat, which I bring out in situations like this, didn't release the dough easily.  A sheet of parchment worked better, as a platform for rolling.

Having said that, I'd still recommend these cookies.  Just be sure to refrigerate the dough at all times, except when rolling it out.

The dough before the dry ingredients are added.  Gorgeous, isn't it?

Just dump the dry ingredients right in the mixer.

Cutting these out evoked memories of Congress kindergarten.