A soft, chocolatey cake-like cookie gets smothered in vanilla buttercream frosting and sprinkled with mini chocolate chips.
There’s just something about grandma’s cooking and baking that makes the food taste SO good! I’ve mentioned how my sweet grandma passed away last December. Since then, I’ve been wanting to keep her memory alive by having a baking marathon, creating her best-loved recipes in my own kitchen and sharing them with you.
I’ve already shared her Meal in a Dish, Southern Pound Cake, and Old-Fashioned Oatmeal Cake, just to name a few, and there will be many more to come!
It makes my heart happy to mix up a batch of the same cookies that my mom got to enjoy while growing up, all the while thinking about my dear grandma.
I called my mom to see which desserts she most remembered from her growing up days. These were top on the list.
They’re named for their method of preparation, which is to “drop” the stiff cookie dough by the spoonful, onto the prepared pan. This yields an old-fashioned type confection that’s not perfectly round as many other cookies are that you form into a ball before baking. But these have some serious character and a definite wow factor!
I brought them to a ladies’ luncheon and everyone commented how they’d never had anything quite like it…but how tasty they were with the contrast of the chocolate cookie, crunchy nuts inside, and a cloud of white vanilla buttercream frosting on top.
I’d say the texture is a perfect mix between a brownie and cake.
{GRANDMA’S CHOCOLATE DROP COOKIES}
Makes about 2 dozen cookies
1/2 c. butter, softened
2/3 c. brown sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. whole milk
2 c. all-purpose flour
1/4 c. plus 2 Tbsp. baking cocoa
1/4 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. finely-chopped walnuts or pecans
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. For the cookies, in the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together butter, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add milk and carefully incorporate. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, baking cocoa, salt, and baking powder. Add to wet mixture and mix until incorporated. Stir in chopped nuts by hand. Dough will be stiff.
Drop cookies by the spoonful onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let sit on cookie sheet for 1-2 minutes, then remove to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Frosting:
1/2 c. butter, softened
3 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
About 4 Tbsp. milk
For the frosting, in the bowl of an electric mixer, combine butter, powdered sugar and vanilla. Add milk by the Tablespoon, mixing in between, until frosting is nice and creamy and spreadable, but not runny.
Frost cookies and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips, if desired.
I love preserving grandma’s legacy in the kitchen, especially if it’s in the form of these delectable beauties!
It made me smile to watch my kiddos enjoy the same cookie that I, my mom and her mom savored as a child. It’s a manifestation that special recipes such as this transcend the generations!
Don’t leave the nuts out…they’re a must for flavor and texture. And be sure to add the frosting on these ones…you won’t regret the extra indulgence!
These make my chocolate-loving taste buds dance with delight! I hope they do the same for you!
Chelsea
www.lifewithmylittles.com
Julie
Carlee
Cooking With Carlee