My Mom made Ice Box Cookies* her own, special cookies that all of us kids remember. My Dad liked them too…
I remember Dad taking me to Saginaw to see the eye doctor. I was about 7 and that was a longish trip at the time, about an hour. Mom packed Ice Box Cookies in a coffee tin for us to have sustenance on this trip. I remember hearing someone screaming in the office and wondering what would happen before Dad reassured me that it wouldn’t hurt, but mostly I remember being with my Dad, eating Ice Box Cookies in the car.
Mom made Ice Box Cookies year around, including at Christmas, and she included a few in the gift tins she made up for all of our teachers. I remember Mrs. Larkin, our remedial speech teacher always loved the pecan balls and Ice Box the best. I remember Dad liked them at Christmas too.
Ice Box Cookies Ready to Eat
Mom took cookies camping, cookies on trips and we had cookies most of the time in the cookie jar. When we got older my sisters and I learned to bake and made lots of cookies, but I never made Ice Box before marrying Dave. Mom made them herself special because they were Dad’s favorite.
Years later I visited my folks in Colorado; it was a full day’s trip even by air, including a drive from the airport to their home in the middle of Colorado. Mom always had a tin of cookies, Ice Box or chocolate chip, and I’d get into them. We’d get home and Dad would make a Manhattan for him and Mom and I’d have a cookie. Dad always growled when he saw that!
In the morning I set the table for breakfast and put the cookie tin out too. Dad harrumphed in his deep voice, “What is this! How come you are eating MY cookies?” Mom would say, “Oh, Ken. It’s OK, you know you want her to have some too!” This went on every visit the entire time they lived. It was tradition. Dad defended his cookies and Mom defended sharing and I just ate them.
Every time I eat these I remember my Dad!
* Yes, this cookie gets capitalized!
Mom’s Ice Box Cookies
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 cup melted butter
4 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chopped nuts (walnuts best)
Cream sugars, eggs, butter. Sift dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture, last add nuts.
Form into two rolls, about 3 inches by 1 1/2 inches. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight
Slice and bake on ungreased cookie sheets.
Bake at 400 degrees for 6 to 8 minutes.
You can freeze the rolls of dough and slice off just what you want. Wrap the frozen wax paper-covered rolls with plastic wrap or put in freezer bags to keep the paper from peeling.
These next photos are the cookies shown on the plate (ready to eat!) before baking. You can see how thick to cut them and what the rolls look like.
Slicing Ice Box Cookies
This shows the shape of the rolls.
Ice Box Cookies Sliced and Ready to Bake
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