Heirloom Recipes: Georgia's Oatmeal Cake & Mom's Ginger Cookies

Hello Friends! 

 
Today I am sharing two sweet recipes handed down in our family 
for generations...

I'm lucky to come from a long line of fabulous cooks...

both the women and men in my family have specialties they have perfected and tweaked over the years... and as it turns out, they are a generous bunch, taking the time to teach the kids and grandkids over the years and share their recipes...

My favorite recipes... are the vintage ones.

These are the best kind of recipe, the hand-written kind... 
the recipes written on delicate paper recipe cards, 
yellowed from time, authored by those we cherish.  

The recipes are undeniably delicious and the 
memories that accompany these sweet recipes are priceless.  

A little wooden recipe box holds so much inside,

 not only the recipes but...the memories of a lifetime, 

baked as holiday meals, family reunion potluck dishes,

 and the comforting casseroles we take to friends in their time of need... 

The recipes boxes that sit on so many kitchen counters, 

hold the food memories that we treasure.  

I am particularly fond of the recipe cards that are tattered from wear,

 dotted with drips and kitchen spatters having been a well-loved recipe.  

Much like my old rag dolls, you can tell which ones received the most love...

 the most loved recipe cards bear the marks of regular use, 

and can signal a winning dish.

The glorious smells of the kitchen can tell me exactly what season it is...
 whether its a bubbling pot of vegetable soup or the undeniable scent
 of Thanksgiving baking in the oven... 
we all have food memories that take us back in time
 to places and people who have meant so much to us.  

I was recently given the recipe collection belonging to my grandmother...

My grandmother and I have spent many an afternoon

 talking about the parties she hosted and the 

friends that shared their recipes and the happy times they spent sharing delicious food... 

 The fun of reminiscing lets us remember dear family friends.

My grandma said to me just last night, "Remembering these recipes bring
the memories to life and we get to relive those happy times all over again."

 Oh, what fun it has been to read through the ingredients and to see the popularity of dishes thought the decades; the long lost deviled ham logs of the 1960's to the microwave fudge of the 1980's... it's a parade of recipes and memories all rolled into one.  

I am so excited to share my grandmother's cake and mother's cookie recipe on Fox19 today... they will both be watching and what a thrill to see these tried and true family favorites live on, hoping to find a place on other kitchen tables and to be loved by families, like yours.  

Please enjoy these family heirloom recipes and here's hoping they make their way into your very own recipe box.  

Xo,

Karri

Get the recipes here:

 Georgia's Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cake 

1 cup quick-cooking oats-uncooked
1 1/4 cup boiling water
1 stick (8 Tbs) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Boil the water and pour over the oats.  Set aside.

Cream the butter, and sugars together.  Add the eggs and mix well.  Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt to the flour.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar/egg mixture.  Mix until just combined, then add the softened oatmeal and any liquid that remains and mix to combine.  Pour batter into a greased 9x13 baking dish.  Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven, on the middle rack for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out cleanly from the center.

For the Topping:

1/2 cup brown sugar-packed
5 Tablespoons melted butter
3/4 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup flaked sweetened coconut

Mix together: 5 Tablespoons melted butter, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 3/4 cup chopped pecans and 3/4 cup flaked coconut.  Mix well and then spread on top of warm cake.  Return cake to oven to broil on LOW for 3-5 minutes or until the topping begins to bubble and lightly brown.  Remove cake from oven and let cool slightly before serving.

Cake can be served warm or at room temperature.  This is a cake that is served from the baking dish, so it's perfect for picnics, potlucks, and easy weeknight family desserts.

Mom's Ginger Cookies
3/4 cup (12 Tablespoons) unsalted softened butter
1 cup granulated sugar 
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoon baking soda
Plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar for coating cookies.

Directions:
Cream the butter, and sugar together.  Add the egg and mix. To the flour, add the ground ginger and ground cinnamon, baking soda, and salt.  Add the flour mixture to the creamed ingredients, mix until just combined.  
Portion into 1-inch dough balls, drop into granulated sugar to coat, place cookie dough on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Using a small ice cream scoop can be a huge help in making the cookies all the same size.  Place cookie dough balls two inches apart on the baking sheet.
Bake on the middle oven rack of a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 12 minutes.  Remove cookies from the baking sheet after resting for 1 minute.  

TIP from mom herself: If you do not use parchment paper, you MUST remove the cookies immediately from the baking sheet to a cooling rack, otherwise the cookies will harden and not come off the tray... she says, plan on throwing your baking sheet away if you don't remove the cookies right away.