Cooking
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book
My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an emphasis on the pecans and brown sugar, this cookie is quite different. The pineapple almost seems like an afterthought.
I had just one problem making these cookies - I didn't have enough crushed pineapple. I have had a suspicion in recent years that the pineapple to juice ratio in canned crushed pineapple has been shifting in favor of the juice, and now I have proof. In this 1977 recipe, Maida Heatter calls for an 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple. She instructs you to drain it and says you should have 2/3 cup pineapple. Well, I had less than half a cup. I don't know if the amount I was missing would have made a difference, but I felt the pineapple in these cookies was barely noticeable.
I had high hopes for these cookies, so I felt a little let down by the results. They were good, but not unusually so. I may have to dig up my mom's recipe and make some of those to console myself.
Suzanne gave these cookies a perfect rating, but I think she was just terribly relieved to have a cookie with no dried fruit in it. Here's the cookie panel...
Suzanne: "Great cookie! I love the pecans. The cookie was pleasing to the eye with a large pecan on the top. Perhaps it was the combination of the sweet pineapple, the spices and pecans that made this a really good cookie. Rating - 5"
Denny: "I liked them but they were a little non-descript except for the pecan. Didn't taste much pineapple though. Rating - 3.5"
Laura: "The name of these cookies intrigued me this Monday morning. I couldn't wait to sample them and I was not disappointed! These were very flavorful and moist, with just the right amount of crunchy pecans and tangy pineapple. Rating - 5"
Phil: "Just in time to impress new management during the federally designated Asian/Pacific Islander month these cookies were both topical and tasty. The pineapple did not dominate but offered some added sweetness plus a little moisture to the cookie. Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.3
Next week - Pumpkin Rocks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Fruitcake Icebox Cookies
Page 136 in the old book / page 172 in the new book A little tamer than last week's cookie, this one is quite attractive and has a wonderful sandy texture. Even though they're called "Fruitcake" Icebox Cookies, the candied fruits are limited...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...
- Mondays With Maida - Indian Figlets
Indian Figlets - oh, and guess where the plate came from! Page 51 in the old book / page 84 in the new book These cookies are an interesting combination of spice, lemon and figs. I thought the combination of lemon and fig sounded really good, but I felt...
Cooking
Mondays with Maida - Hawaiian Pineapple Cookies
Page 52 in the old book / page 85 in the new book
My mom used to make a pineapple and coconut cookie that I always loved. When I saw the name of this week's cookie, I had visions of a Maida Heatter version of my mom's cookie. However, with an emphasis on the pecans and brown sugar, this cookie is quite different. The pineapple almost seems like an afterthought.
I had just one problem making these cookies - I didn't have enough crushed pineapple. I have had a suspicion in recent years that the pineapple to juice ratio in canned crushed pineapple has been shifting in favor of the juice, and now I have proof. In this 1977 recipe, Maida Heatter calls for an 8 ounce can of crushed pineapple. She instructs you to drain it and says you should have 2/3 cup pineapple. Well, I had less than half a cup. I don't know if the amount I was missing would have made a difference, but I felt the pineapple in these cookies was barely noticeable.
I had high hopes for these cookies, so I felt a little let down by the results. They were good, but not unusually so. I may have to dig up my mom's recipe and make some of those to console myself.
Suzanne gave these cookies a perfect rating, but I think she was just terribly relieved to have a cookie with no dried fruit in it. Here's the cookie panel...
Suzanne: "Great cookie! I love the pecans. The cookie was pleasing to the eye with a large pecan on the top. Perhaps it was the combination of the sweet pineapple, the spices and pecans that made this a really good cookie. Rating - 5"
Denny: "I liked them but they were a little non-descript except for the pecan. Didn't taste much pineapple though. Rating - 3.5"
Laura: "The name of these cookies intrigued me this Monday morning. I couldn't wait to sample them and I was not disappointed! These were very flavorful and moist, with just the right amount of crunchy pecans and tangy pineapple. Rating - 5"
Phil: "Just in time to impress new management during the federally designated Asian/Pacific Islander month these cookies were both topical and tasty. The pineapple did not dominate but offered some added sweetness plus a little moisture to the cookie. Rating - 3.5"
Overall rating by the panel - 4.3
Next week - Pumpkin Rocks
Nutrition Facts
- Mondays With Maida - Pecan Butterscotch Icebox Cookies
Page 139 in the old book / page 174 in the new book This week brings another very easy to make butterscotch cookie, but this cookie gets its butterscotch flavor from butter and brown sugar alone. The flavor in these is more subtle and though crunchy,...
- Mondays With Maida - Fruitcake Icebox Cookies
Page 136 in the old book / page 172 in the new book A little tamer than last week's cookie, this one is quite attractive and has a wonderful sandy texture. Even though they're called "Fruitcake" Icebox Cookies, the candied fruits are limited...
- Mondays With Maida - German Oatmeal Cookies
Page 60 in the old book / page 94 in the new book These are soft, slightly spicy oatmeal cookies loaded with raisins, dates, pecans, and chocolate chips. Making these cookies was easy and uneventful. Maida Heatter's note that accompanies the recipe...
- Mondays With Maida - Date-nut Rocks
Page 57 in the old book / page 87 in the new book The last (and possibly best) of the rocks. This is a plainer and simpler cookie than the other rocks - no icing and only one spice - but very, very good. These are soft cookies stuffed with dates and...
- Mondays With Maida - Indian Figlets
Indian Figlets - oh, and guess where the plate came from! Page 51 in the old book / page 84 in the new book These cookies are an interesting combination of spice, lemon and figs. I thought the combination of lemon and fig sounded really good, but I felt...