COOKIE #15: COFFEE CORNUCOPIAS

Looking forward in my 1962 Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, I’ve got some tough cookies coming up. I’m particularly concerned about the “filled cookie” section in a couple pages, but today I ease into more of the “drop and shaped cookies.”  These Coffee Cornucopias look like a bit more work than I’m used to and are heavy on the shape.  The cornucopia shape. Thank goodness for the “See picture” remark because I’m a bit befuddled as to how these are supposed to turn out. I turn to page 183 and find the Coffee Cornucopias depicted at the bottom of a tray full of “Dainty cookies for a special party.”  They do look dainty. Pretty darn special.  And not too unlike the Thanksgiving cornucopia I had in mind. 



"Ringed around the roses are Creme-filled Cookies,
so tender and flaky. Next come butter rich Sandies
- they've been dipped in Confectioners'
Icing and rolled in tinted flaked coconut.
Beneath are fragile-crisp Coffee Cornucopias
filled with whipped cream."



The horn of plenty is a symbol of abundance and nourish-ment, hence why we usually see them around Thanksgiving. To give thanks for all of the delicious booty, I mean bounty, which has been bestowed upon us all year long. So why don’t we celebrate this symbol of abundance more often?  Don’t ya think we need more cornucopia-related items out there? Ok, maybe not. But at least incorporating them into cookies seems like a good idea.  

So, I hadn’t heard of these cookies before BH&G. And when I searched the ole internet, I did not pull up a single recipe for them.  I find a Cornucopia Coffee sandwich shop in Indiana.  Cornucopia cookie cutters.  Images of coffee mugs with cornucopias on them. But no actual cookies. If the all-knowing google can’t find these cookies, then they must be a rarity. Or perhaps just bad cookies? I’m on a mission to find out! 

So this is the first cookie I’ve ever made that has coffee in it. I love coffee.  From the pot to the mug black coffee.  This recipe calls for instant coffee, something I don’t normally have, but found it really cheap to buy.  Like $1 kinda cheap. Instant coffee powder is freeze dried coffee. The powder can be immediately rehydrated with any liquid, which means that you can get an instant shot of coffee flavor without adding extra liquid to your ingredients. In cakes and cookies, where ingredient ratios can be sensitive, small amount of coffee can be “activated” by the presence of eggs, butter or anything else that is reasonably wet. Good to know. 

Once all together, the batter is pretty thin and pretty scarce.  I have a hard time believing that I will get 4 dozen cookies out of this tiny bit of batter, but I will say that it smells and tastes divine. Like sweet coffee. I measure out the very precise 2.5 inch diameter to each spread cookie.  I can’t tell if I’m using too much batter, but I’d rather have fatter cookies to work with than paper thin ones that tear.  And I do only 8 at a time as suggested.  They bake up quickly.  The edges become a bit crispy but the rest of the cookie is malleable, easy to manipulate.  I do my best to make little horns, set them up seam side down to set, and get to the next batch. 

In the end, my cornucopias look a bit more like cannoli, but I give them two thumbs up because they held together! And apparently I DID use too much batter because I ended up with only 2 dozen (vs 4 dozen) cookies. I insert a bit of canned whipped cream (I’m sure in the olden days, they made their whipped cream by hand, but not this girl.), and take a taste…HEAVEN!  These cookies are delicate and full of flavor at the same time. And like a good cup o’joe, they are addictive. They are seriously good enough to be served in any fancy schmancy pastry shop.  I wouldn’t change a thing.  I think this one even beats my former fave, the gingersnaps. Now I wonder if I'll get a caffeine jolt?

Modeling her "I'm Pretty like my Aunt" onesie,
courtesy of her Aunt BB...its true!

Cookie Grade: A+ = delicate, yet decadent. Hard to put down. And I'll never misspell cornucopia after writing this blog. lol (I thought it was cornAcopia...silly me)

What I was jammin’ to:  Janis Joplin and friends…I’m a pterodactyl!