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Grandma Cookie: My Long Lost Christmas Cookie Recipe
By gia
November 8, 2023
In my eyes, Grandma Velma was the Christmas cookie queen. Cookies like Peanut Butter Blossoms, Tea Time Tassies, Nut Puffs, & Lady Locks would be stuffed into Tupperware & cardboard shirt boxes that filled the garage fridge. Then there were “Grandma Cookies”.
On the surface, a Grandma Cookie was pretty simple & mild in flavor compared to their holiday cookie counterparts. The round vanilla cookie was pillowy soft in the middle, topped with sprinkles (my new favorite), & not cloyingly sweet. You could eat a bunch without really thinking about it, especially with a cup of coffee.
The Grandma Cookie: A Christmas Recipe Long Lost
For years after my grandma passed away, no one could find the recipe. I scoured the internet trying to find something, but the closest I ever got was a ricotta cookie. Grandma’s daughters swore up & down was not it… so I gave up. But recently, digging around in some old photos & docs, I found it! Well, sort of. It was half-baked, with no instructions & a short list of vague ingredients like “two teaspoons of baking powder for every cup of flour”. Thanks Grandma.
So, I did some recipe testing, and after some trial, error, and a dozen eggs, I figured it out! I even came up with another variation of the cookie that I enjoyed, though it still doesn’t beat the original. In the coming weeks, I have a personal goal to share a few of my favorite holiday cookie recipes with you, and I’m starting with these Grandma Cookies. They’re very easy to make, & could be a fun cookie to have kids help decorate, too!
Give them a try and leave a comment letting me know your thoughts. Happy baking!
Cookie Ingredients
- 6 large eggs
- 200 grams granulated sugar
- 95 grams soft/room temperature shortening
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract OR 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- 480 grams all purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
Glaze Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons heavy cream
- 120 grams powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract use clear extract if you want to keep your glaze bright white
- Sprinkles I used Trader Joe's Christmas Sprinkle
Preheat your oven to 350ºF and line two baking sheets with parchement or silicone baking mats.
With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer, beat the eggs & sugar together on high until thoroughly combined.
Add in the shortening and vanilla, and continue to beat on high until thoroughly combined.
Turn the mixer speed to low and add in flour and baking powder until dough just comes together and no streaks of flour remain.
Scoop and roll into 1/2 inch balls, then place on parchment. You can either use a cookie scoop if you want to be precise or just eyeball it with your hands
Bake in the oven for 13 minutes or until bottoms turn light brown & lift easily off the parchment/mat. Place on cooling rack to cool completely.
In the meantime, whisk together heavy cream, powdered sugar, & vanilla extract to create the glaze.
Once cookies are cool, dip each one into the glaze & top with sprinkles.
Store in an airtight container in the fridge. In my opinion, they taste even better after refrigerated.
Varation: Skip the glaze & sprinkles if that’s not your vibe. Roll your dough balls in granulated sugar before putting them into the oven!
