Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

Baked and ready to dunk in a good cup of coffee.

My maternal grandmother always had ice-box cookies baked and ready to serve.  My skinny grandfather slathered butter on his cookies, and the grandkids enjoyed them for snacks.  Before we knew about Salmonella and recognized that eating raw eggs was a bad idea, she always kept a bit of leftover dough for the grandkids to eat raw, straight from the refrigerator. This recipe was always referred to as "Stella's cookies" because my grandmother got the recipe from her sister, Stella.  Why does it call for 6 teaspoons baking powder?  Who know, it doesn’t make sense to me, but that’s what the recipe calls for, and the cookies turn out just fine.

Butterscotch Ice Box Cookies

2 cups light brown sugar

¾ cup butter, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

3-1/2 cups all-purpose flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup finely chopped pecans

½ teaspoon salt (optional)

Sift flour and baking powder and set aside.  In a large bowl, cream brown sugar and butter.  Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.  Stir in the flour mixture; I use the electric mixer on low to do the preliminary mixing.  Add pecans, then mix by hand until the dough is well blended and pliable, resembling the texture of Play-Doh. 

Smooth ball of cookie dough.

Divide the dough into roughly three portions.  Tear off three sheets of waxed paper, each about 15 inches long.  Working one at a time, dust each piece of waxed paper with about a tablespoon of flour, then place a third of the dough on the sheet.  Use your hands to roll the dough into a cylinder, about 1.25 inches thick. 

About a third of the dough.



Wrap the waxed paper around the roll, tucking in ends.  Repeat for each section of dough.  If the cookies are to be baked within a few days, place the dough in the refrigerator and use as needed.  Otherwise, wrap each roll additionally with foil, label and freeze.

Shaped roll of cookie dough.

Wrap rolls in waxed paper.

Wrap again in foil; label, date, and freeze.

 

To bake the cookies, preheat the oven to 375°F.  Slice dough into pieces about 3/8 inch in thickness; place on greased cookie sheet and bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until lightly browned.