Butterscotch Icebox Cookies

This recipe comes from an amusing book called Mama's in the Kitchen ~ Weird & Wonderful Home Cooking 1900-1950. Some of the recipes in this book are outrageous (and the author knows it) such as Sauerkraut Jell-O, Macaroni and Liver, and Spinach Ice Cream. The following recipe, however, is definitely a keeper! The original recipe was printed in the book G.E. Electric Refrigerator Recipes in 1927.

Butterscotch Icebox Cookies

1/2 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Cream butter and sugar, add egg and vanilla and mix well. Mix baking powder with flour and add to creamed mixture. Stir in nuts. Roll in waxed paper and refrigerate until firm. Storing them in the freezer works well, too. (That wasn't an option with G.E.'s 1927 refrigerator.) Slice and bake 8 minutes or until lightly browned in a preheated 375 degree oven.

 This dough is much like sugar cookie dough. It was easy to form it into a log and roll it in wax paper.

 This is how thick I sliced the dough.

 Some of the slices didn't come out very round when I sliced them. I just molded them into circles with my hands.

My Notes: These were really easy to make and good too! My kids loved them and my husband said they tasted like Christmas. I thought they tasted very similar to sugar cookies, but with nuts and brown sugar added. I used pecans for the nuts but I'm sure walnuts almonds would be wonderful too. I cheated on the refrigerator part and only left them in about 20 minutes. It still worked :-) IMPORTANT: Remove these from the cookie sheet as soon as they are done (I cooked mine about 9 1/2 minutes) or the bottoms will brown and the cookies will lose their moistness. I learned this with my first batch.