Brown Sugar Icebox Cookies ..... Day Five of Twelve Days of Christmas Cookies

Brown Sugar Icebox Cookies

My friend Virginia shares one of her favorite cookie recipes with us today. This is a recipe that I remember from my days as a youngster. The word icebox indicates that it was from a bygone era. I remember begging my mother for a chunk of the unbaked dough. It is so good! Thanks Virginia for sharing. Oh, comfort food!

Ingredients:

3 1/2 cups sifted all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup soft butter or margarine

2 cups light brown sugar, firmly packed

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or pecans.

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Directions:

Sift dry ingredients together and set aside. In large bowl of mixer,cream butter and sugar beating until light. Add eggs and vanilla continuing to beat until light and fluffy.

At a low speed mix in half of the flour beating until smooth. Mix in rest with hands to form a stiff dough. Add nuts mixing well to combine well. Turn dough out on a lightly floured surface. Divide into thirds. Shape each third into a roll and wrap with saran wrap or foil. Refrigerate until firm about eight hours or overnight before slicing and baking. Rolls may be stored in refrigerator up to ten days. Bake in a 375 oven. With a sharp knife cut as many 1/4" slices as desired for baking at one time. Keep remainder of dough well wrapped and in refrigerator. Place dough on ungreased cookie sheet 2" apart and bake until lightly browned 10 to 12 minutes.

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Note: I have vivid memories of the dough in two long rolls that just fit my mother's cutting board setting in the refrigerator and the anticipation of having the baked cookies. Mother had told me that the mother of a friend gave her this recipe many years ago. My mother would have been married seventy-one years so that speaks for the age of the recipe.