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Aunt Henrietta wasn't my aunt or my mom's aunt; she was actually my Grandma Elaine's aunt.
Both of my grandparents were only children, something unusual in the 1920s. Consequently, my mother didn't have aunts and uncles, only great-aunts and great-uncles. Aunt Henrietta was the wife of great-grandpa's brother.
She was gone before I was born, so I only have my mother's memories. Henrietta was a tall woman with large eyes. She worked as a nurse in the 1930s and she wanted her daughters to have careers, too. One became a schoolteacher, while the other two worked for the FBI in Washington, D.C.
Henrietta shared this recipe with my grandmother and it passed down through the family to me. Because of the nutmeg in the recipe, this chewy cookie tastes a little like egg nog. These cookies are pefect to make anytime, though you will find them in our cookie jars every Christmas.
First, I creamed together the brown sugar, shortening, and vanilla.
Then, I added eggs and milk.
(This recipe is so old, it calls for Spry instead of shortening!)
Then, I added eggs and milk.
(This recipe is so old, it calls for Spry instead of shortening!)
I added the dry ingredients next with nutmeg.
After the dry ingredients were incorporated, I added chopped nuts.
I thought I took more pictures, but apparently not!
STONE JAR COOKIES
Ingredients:
*2 c. brown sugar
*1 c. shortening
*1 tsp. vanilla
*2 eggs
*1/4 c. milk
*3 c. flour
*1 tsp. salt
*1 tsp. soda
*1 tsp. nutmeg
*1 c. chopped pecans or walnuts
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375F. Combine brown sugar and shortening in large bowl. Beat in vanilla and eggs. Add milk and mix well.
2. Combine flour, salt, soda, and nutmeg in separate bowl. Incorporate into wet ingredients until soft dough forms. Add nuts and mix thoroughly.
3. Spoon tablespoons of dough 2-3" apart onto cookie sheet. Bake for 8-10 minutes.
Yields 4 dozen cookies.
Did you have a woman in your family who had a career early in the 20th century?
- On Friday, I will share my last (whew!) cookie from my 12 Cookies of Christmas series, Monster Cookies.
- To prepare for New Years Eve, I am taking recipe submissions for dips, appetizers, and canapes from you! Post on my Sunday blog post (Christmas) through Monday at noon!
