Jubilee Jumbles

I included this recipe in my holiday baking frenzy, and was pleased with the results. It isn't complicated, and after also making Peanut Blossoms and Ginger Snaps, I really appreciated being able to drop the cookie dough onto the baking sheet rather than rolling it into dozens of little balls.

The dough didn't expand a lot; it just puffed up into a nice dome, and held together well when I transferred the cookies to a cooling rack.

I especially liked the glaze in this recipe. The browned butter gives it a richer flavor (some would say "nutty" and I kind of agree).

Glazing was a simple but messy business; I recommend cooling racks so that the drips don't pool on the sides of the cookies, and I also suggest laying out waxed paper underneath the cooling racks to catch all the drips.

The recipe says to glaze the cookies while they're still warm. After a bit of trial and error, I determined that "still warm" does not mean "piping hot fresh from the oven." If the cookies were too hot, the glaze would liquify and slide right off into a puddle. What worked best was to wait a few minutes (time enough to wipe down the cookie sheet and get the next batch ready for the oven), then drizzle the glaze from a knife held an inch or two over each cookie. I made swirling and zigzag motions with my wrist to cover as much of the cookie as possible. The cookies were warm enough for the glaze to soften and spread out without completely running off the sides.

For a holiday look, red or green sprinkles would cling beautifully to the cookies before the glaze sets. A drop or two of food coloring in the glaze would also work well. (I did neither, myself, but I might try it next year.)

As for my overall verdict, note that I said I was pleased with the results - not thrilled - meaning that I think these cookies came out good enough to make again, but I'm not tripping over myself trying to convince you to get yourself a can of evaporated milk and prepare them immediately. They are very pretty cookies, with a soft texture and a delicate flavor. I think of them more as bite-sized cakes than cookies. With their subtle flavor, I found them to be a perfect accompaniment to an afternoon cup of tea.

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Jubilee Jumbles

½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar (packed)
½ cup white sugar
2 eggs
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp soda
1 cup nuts

Mix thoroughly shortening, sugars, and eggs.
Stir in milk and vanilla.
Sift together dry ingredients [and nuts] and stir in.
Chill one hour.
Drop by rounded tablespoonsfull on greased baking sheet.
Bake 10 min. at 375° until delicately browned.
Frost with glaze while still warm.

Glaze
Heat 2 tbsp butter until golden brown. [monitor on med-low heat]
Beat in until smooth 2 cups powdered sugar and ¼ cup evaporated milk.

(4 dozen) (large)