.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Ice Box Cookies as they appear in the 2020 edition of KANSAS! Magazine

I added black walnuts to this batch of cookies.

1945 ERA RECIPE

In honor of the 75^th anniversary of KANSAS! Magazine, Louise Hanson found an ice box cookie recipe in the 1945 “O.E.S. Cook Book;” it was produced by the Order of Eastern Star chapter in Wakarusa, Kansas. Although 85% of households owned a refrigerator by the mid 1940s, the term “ice box” was still in common use as indicated in this recipe title. This recipe also indicates that housewives continued to utilize the plan-ahead approach that had gained popularity during the Depression era. These make-ahead cookies were rolled and ready for baking as family treats or for drop-in friends. Think of then as an early version of today’s commercial “slice-and-bake” cookies.

SO BUTTERY. SO GOOD. SO CONVENIENT.

The 2020 winter edition contains articles on iconic home in Kansas, homes of indigenous people and the original Home on the Range. The Taste section is titled, "A Heritage of Flavor" and explores community cookbooks produced in the state, highlighting regional culinary history and "the ingenuity and adaptability of Kansas cooks."

ICE BOX COOKIES Yield: 7 dozen

The recipe is as it appears in the 1945 cookbook with a few updates or additional explanations included in parenthesis.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups (packed) brown sugar

2 eggs, beaten

1 1/2 cups (finely chopped) nuts

1 t-spoon (baking) soda

2 cups (4 sticks) butter (softened)

1 t-spoon (teaspoon) vanilla

1 t-spoon cream (of) tartar

4 cups (all purpose) flour

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add (to mixing bowl) as given, adding flour gradually and mixing well.

2. Knead (manipulate very lightly a few times) and shape into three (2-inch) rolls. (Extra flour can be used during the shaping process as needed if dough is sticky. Wrap rolls in wax paper and twist ends; rolls may also be wrapped in foil and frozen.)

3. Leave in ice box overnight.

4. Slice (1/4-inch thick and place on greased or sprayed cookie sheet about 1-inch apart) and bake in (preheated) hot oven (350° is recommended) for 8 to 10 minutes (until edges are golden brown). So handy as you can bake for a crowd or just prepare a small tray for the mini oven whenever we want just a few warm cookies!

5. (Cool on cookie sheet for a minute and then remove to a cooling rack.)

Mrs. Elaine Carson

Topeka, Kansas

(Optional Mix-ins: 1 c. chocolate chips, chopped toffee or chopped pretzels; 1/2 c. dried fruit, toasted coconut orchopped candy canes; 1/4 c. cocoa powder; 2 Tbsp. sprinkles; 1 tsp. instant espresso or spices, such as ground cinnamon or cardamom.)

Recipe without photos . . .