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My Favorite Ice Box Cookies

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Submitted by Pually

Old-fashioned icebox cookies with dark brown sugar, butter, walnuts, and vanilla. Slice-and-bake in just 4 minutes for crispy, caramelized edges.

YIELD

2 dozen

PREP

70 min

COOK

4 min

READY

75 min

These icebox cookies are stripped down to what matters: dark brown sugar, a full half pound of butter, chopped walnuts, vanilla, and flour. No leavening, no spices, nothing to distract from that pure brown sugar-butter-walnut flavor. The dough gets rolled into logs and chilled, then sliced thin and baked for just four minutes.

Four minutes sounds impossibly fast, and it is a razor-thin window. The high butter and sugar content means these cookies go from done to burnt in about 30 seconds. Stay at the oven and watch through the glass. When the edges just start to turn golden, they’re done. They’ll look underbaked but firm up as they cool.

Dark brown sugar (not light) gives these a deeper, more molasses-forward flavor and chewier texture. It also means more moisture in the dough, so slice them thin, about the size and thickness of a half dollar, to ensure they crisp up fully in that short bake time.

Kitchen Tips

  • Chill the dough logs at least one hour. Soft dough squishes instead of slicing cleanly. The colder the dough, the cleaner the cut.
  • Use a sharp, thin knife and cut with a gentle sawing motion. Pressing straight down crushes the log and deforms the round shape.
  • Cool on the sheet for 30 seconds, then transfer. They’re extremely fragile right out of the oven but firm up fast.
  • Freeze the dough logs for up to 3 months. Slice and bake from frozen, adding an extra minute to the bake time.

Variations

  • Roll the dough log in turbinado sugar before chilling for sparkly, crunchy edges.
  • Swap walnuts for pecans for a slightly sweeter, more buttery nut flavor.
  • Add a teaspoon of espresso powder to the dough for a mocha-walnut cookie.

Ingredients

1 453.6
POUND G BROWN SUGAR
dark
1 5
TEASPOON ML VANILLA EXTRACT
½ 226.8
POUND G BUTTER
2 2
PACKAGES PACKAGES WALNUTS
chopped fine *
1 1
LARGE EACH EGG
2 473
CUPS ML ALL-PURPOSE FLOUR
sifted

Directions

Cream butter and sugar.

Add egg, vanilla, and walnuts.

Beat by hand until well mixed.

Add flour.

Make into one or two rolls and refrigerate.

When ready to bake, cut in thin slices (size and thickness of half dollar).

Bake at 350℉ (180℃) for 4 minutes.

Watch carefully as they tend to burn easily.

Cool 30 seconds before removing from cookie sheet.

* not incl. in nutrient facts Arrow up button

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Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 245g (8.6 oz)
Amount per Serving
Calories 1080 40% from fat
 % Daily Value *
Total Fat 48g 73%
Saturated Fat 30g 148%
Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 169mg 56%
Sodium 388mg 16%
Total Carbohydrate 53g 53%
Dietary Fiber 2g 7%
Sugars g
Protein 17g
Vitamin A 29% Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 13% Iron 29%
* based on a 2,000 calorie diet How is this calculated?
Trans-fat Free
 

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