Grandma Detrick’s Caramel Glazed Christmas Cookies

Christmas and baking seem to go hand in hand so today I’m sharing a favorite family cookie recipe as part of a Christmas Dessert Blog Hop. A special welcome to my followers as well as anyone here because of Beth’s blog Home Stories A to Z. I’m so happy you’re here and following our blog hop.

I’m actually sharing my great grandma’s recipe, but this recipe was passed down to me from my dad so we’ve always just referred to them as Grandma Detrick’s Cookies. For the purpose of sharing, I added the Caramel Glazed description in order to give you a hint of why they taste so good.

When Summer of She Leaves a Little Sparkle asked me to be apart of this blog hop, I immediately thought of these cookies, but then thought, “Well, they aren’t that pretty so maybe I should think of something else.” But how sad is that? Something shouldn’t just be photo worthy in order to share. So I brushed that thought aside and committed to making what truly is my favorite Christmas cookie. And I’m so glad I did. Because to be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever made them by myself. Usually my mom makes them. I did help as a child, but I haven’t done that in years.

When I asked my mom for the recipe, she sent it via a text and I gasped at the ingredient list. Let’s just say, sometimes it better not to know what goes into making your favorite recipe. I realized there would probably be a lot of sugar and butter, but instead of butter it was Crisco. Yet, I’d never bought Crisco before. I texted my mom that very thought, “I’ve never bought Crisco.” She replied, “It comes in cubes like butter.” I then said, “Okay. No wonder they are so good—just pure fat!” And then her final text to me was “Your dad said, ‘You’re damn straight.’ lol.” 

We later discussed “Why Crisco?” And my mom thinks a lot recipes from that time period tended to use Crisco instead of butter. And we think we could actually substitute Coconut Oil (and not kidding, Crisco even makes one) and get the same results. I didn’t yesterday because I just wanted to make sure they turned out, but I think I’m going to try that today and let you guys know how it works. Perhaps a little healthier alternative. But hey, they are cookies so what did I expect? Plus, my great grandma lived to be 101 so perhaps they aren’t that bad for you.

As for the cookie, I wasn’t sure how to describe it. It’s kind of a rustic sugar cookie, but it’s not that sugary. So it’s probably better to describe it as a cake cookie that has just a hint of sweetness. That’s probably why I like it so much as I’m not really into super sweet treats. Plus the cookie is topped with a brown sugar caramel glaze that adds the perfect amount of sweetness. I hope that description helps to sell it as it really is a family favorite.

Ingredients

Yields about 4 dozen cookies.

For Cookie:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup crisco (Or substitute coconut oil)
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 4 cups flour
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

For Caramel Glaze Icing:

• 2 cups brown sugar
• 1/2 cup crisco (Or substitute coconut oil)
• 1/2 cup milk

Directions

For Cookie:

Preheat oven to 350°.

In large mixing bowl, mix sugar, brown sugar and Crisco (or coconut oil) then add eggs and buttermilk.

In separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar then mix it into the wet mixture. Keep mixing until batter is smooth.

Scoop tablespoon size balls (or heaping teaspoons) onto a cookie sheet and bake in 350° oven for 8-10 minutes. Cookies should be golden brown on the bottom and light brown on top. (Note, you can chill batter for more consistent scooping, but it’s not required.)

Let cookies cool on a baking rack or, if you’re like me, use a brown paper bag that you’ve cut open.

For Caramel Glaze Icing:

In small sauce pan, heat brown sugar, Crisco (or coconut oil) and milk. Bring to a boil. Let boil for one minute and then remove from heat. Let cool. Once cool, spread on cookies. (Note, I tried dipping some of my cookies in the brown sugar mixture while it was still slightly warm, and although this was super easy, the glaze ends up seeping into the cookie and not forming on the top. I didn’t like this result as much so next time I’m going to be patient and wait for the mixture to cool.)

And since Christmas cookies are meant to be shared, I created a FREE Christmas Baking Gift Tag printable that you can use for any holiday treats you’re giving away this year. You can download it here and make someone smile because, “It’s beginning to taste a lot like Christmas.” 

Christmas Dessert Blog Hop

As I stated earlier, this is all part of a Christmas Dessert Blog Hop.

I invite you to visit Kara’s Party Ideas next for her Crock Pot Fudge Recipe and then move on to all the other wonderful bloggers below. These girls have me wanting to press pause on my daily schedule and just bake all day.

She Leaves a Little Sparkle

Boxwood Avenue

Meaningful Spaces

Lillian Hope Designs

Our Vintage Nest

Home Stories A to Z

So what’s your favorite Christmas dessert? I would love to hear about your family favorites and if available please include links to your favorite recipes within your comments. I love being inspired to try something new.