Classic cookie recipes sweeten lunch boxes, snack time

Does anyone make school lunches anymore? One hears so much about the cafeterias, that perhaps sack lunches are no longer viable — regardless, after school’s a good time to enjoy a couple of cookies and a glass of milk before suppertime. Whatever your situation, you’ll love these offerings. Enjoy!

The pumpkins are coming on, and this perennial favorite cookie — decades old — is still one of the best ones out there! (You don’t have to wait for a real pumpkin, however, canned suits nicely!)

Pumpkin Cookies with Ginger Cream Frosting

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

1 cup dark brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 large egg

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup raisins (optional)

1 cup walnuts, finely chopped

Ginger Cream Cheese Frosting

3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature

4 tablespoons butter, room temperature

Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

2 to 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons (or more) water 

Cookies:

Set the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

In the mixer bowl, combine and mix the sugars, then add the butter and beat well. Scrape down sides of the bowl and mix again. Add egg, pumpkin and vanilla. Mix until light and fluffy.

At low speed, blend in flour mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts until just evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonsful onto an ungreased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.

Bake 20-24 minutes or until the tester in the center of cookie comes out clean. Cool and frost.

Frosting:

Beat cream cheese, butter and ginger together until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners’ sugar and thin with water to proper spreading consistency. Spread frosting on each cookie.

Carrot/Zucchini Cookies

1 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon EACH salt, cinnamon

1/2 cup EACH grated carrots and zucchini

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Set the oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and sugar, then beat to fluffy consistency; add egg and vanilla. Mix dry ingredients and beat into mixture. Stir in carrots, zucchini and nuts. Drop on greased cookie sheets and bake for about 20 minutes. Remove with a spatula from sheet onto narrow racks or waxed paper to cool. If desired, frost after the cookies have cooled.

Tip: Add 1/3 cup raisins to batter if you wish, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips, for a surprise treat.

I ran this next recipe in a previous column and have had some requests for a repeat. Everyone loves these!

No-Bake Sweet/Salty Triple Chocolate Drops

8 ounces white chocolate chips

1 cup (6 ounces) milk chocolate morsels

1 cup (6 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans or walnuts

1 1/2 cups broken pretzel sticks

Melt first 3 ingredients carefully in a heavy saucepan over low heat, stirring constantly. When completely melted and smooth, remove from heat and immediately stir in nuts and pretzels. Drop by heaping tablespoonsful onto lightly oiled waxed paper. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.  Makes about 1 dozen.

Here’s a classic Meyer’s lemon specialty — you can, however, use “regular” lemons! These are elegant cookies, great for a tea or company dessert.

Meyer Lemon Ricotta Cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

2 cups cane sugar

2 large eggs

15-oz. container ricotta cheese

1/2 teaspoon lemon extract

2 Tb Meyer lemon zest, grated

1 Tb Meyer lemon juice

21/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

Glaze: 6 Tb (3/4 stick) unsalted butter; 3 cups confectioners’ sugar; 3-4 Tb lemon juice.

Preheat oven to 350; line baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine butter and sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Add eggs, ricotta, lemon extract, zest and juice. Blend well.

Add 1 cup flour, baking powder and salt; blend to combine. Add remaining flour in two parts, blending to combine between each, until dough forms. Drop, by rounded tablespoon, 2 inches apart onto baking sheets.

Bake until cookie edges are VERY light brown, 12-15 minutes. Let cookies rest on a baking sheet for several minutes (they are fragile*). Transfer to a wire cooling rack.

For glaze, cream together butter and sugar, gradually adding juice until desired consistency is reached. Store cookies in the refrigerator as frosting can get soft.

* If dough seems too loose during preparation, add a little flour as necessary for a bit more body.

    A batch of these frosted pumpkin cookies won't last long. Soft, spiced and topped with silky cream cheese frosting, they're a seasonal classic worth saving.
  

    Valle Novak

Editor’s note: For many years, Valle Novak wrote gardening and cooking columns for the Daily Bee. Weekend Gardener and Country Chef became renowned for their humor, information and common-sense advice on everything from planting to cooking. She left behind many columns such as this one to delight her many fans.