Icebox Cookies

Day 138: For want of anything better, today I am going to share with you my mother's recipe for "Icebox Cookies." Please note that these are called "Icebox Cookies" and not "Refrigerator Cookies" because they come from an era when powered refrigerators were not the common household appliance they are today. Foods were kept cold in an icebox which had to be replenished with ice on a schedule determined primarily by local weather conditions. The iceman came 'round to the door like the milkman, bearing his wares for a fee. Our household was one of the modern ones, keeping up with the Joneses with an electric fridge, but the name "Icebox Cookies" was destined for posterity. The dough, chilled so it can be sliced easily, makes these cookies simple to prepare. The mapleine gives them a unique taste, so close your cookbook on the "refrigerator cookie" page and try these instead.

3 cups sifted flour
3 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup shortening
1 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. mapleine
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup walnut or pecan pieces

Cream the shortening with the brown sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mapleine and vanilla. Sift flour with baking powder and salt. Add flour mix to moist ingredients and combine thoroughly. Add nut pieces if desired (pecans are my favourite for this). Divide dough into two parts and roll each into a log. Wrap each log in wax paper and chill in the icebox/fridge for at least four hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 400 F. Slice dough into thin rounds (a little thinner than 1/4"). Place on ungreased baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to brown slightly. These are a crisp, yet tender cookie, and dunkable if you wish.