Gram's Butter Cookies

According to my mom, these cookies were brought to a family funeral recently, and the family confirmed, "these are Gram's - just like [we] remembered." Like many of the recipes from our greats and grands, the instructions are minimal, but it's a pretty basic recipe.  I love having a recipe from my great grandma to pass on to my kiddos. Enjoy!

Butter Cookies

Grandma Katherine Hertel

3 sticks of butter

1-1/2 c. granulated sugar

1-1/2 tsp. vanilla

3 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Mix and form in a loaf.  Refrigerate until it's hard.  Slice loaf in thin pieces.  Bake at 325℉ for about 12 minutes.  Cookies will be very light in color. 

Peanut Butter Balls (a.k.a. Buckeyes)

These are a holiday staple, and our grandma made them with a little twist, adding some crunch with Wheaties.  We call them "peanut butter balls" since we're a Michigan Wolverines household, too. ;)

Peanut Butter Balls (a.k.a. Buckeyes)

Gram Hertel

Cream together:

1-1/2 sticks margarine (I use butter and it works fine, too)

2 c. peanut butter

1 lb. powdered sugar

Mix in:

 1 12 oz. box of crushed Wheaties cereal

Mix will and shape with hands into walnut-sized balls (we actually make them a lot smaller now).  Stick in the freezer to firm up while heating the chocolate. 

Melt in a double boiler:

1/2 bar wax (we use 1-2 tbsp. of coconut oil instead now)

6 oz. chocolate chips (We use Trader Joe's big red bar of dark chocolate, or a combination of whatever  bulk chocolate we have on hand, and it's usually about 8 ounces.  If we have leftover, we dip some pretzels afterward.)

Use a small skewer to dip balls into chocolate.  You can leave the top uncoated for the "buckeye" appearance, or go all in - whatever works!  Cool on parchment and store in a cool, dry place (we stick them out on our chilly covered porch or in the fridge).

Imperial Cookies

Imperial Cookies

I remember these as a kid at my grandma's house.  The recipe comes from the Dutch Kitchen cookbook.

Preheat oven to 300℉. Beat the following ingredients together for 15 minutes, until fluffy:

2 sticks imperial margarine
3/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Add 1-1/2 c. flour, beat just to incorporate.

Stir in 1/2 c. chocolate chips (a generous 1/2 c. )

Bake 30 minutes on greased baking sheet (or use parchment).  Makes about 2-1/2 dozen cookies, so we usually doubled it.