Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars…A Slightly Different Blast from the Past!

By Jodee Weiland

Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars are a slightly different blast from the past in our home! When I was a little girl, my mom would make the Magic Cookie Bars recipe from Eagle Brand using sweetened condensed milk and chopped walnuts or pecans.

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This cookie bar recipe was developed in the 1960’s when Gail Borden offered money for homemade recipes for desserts using his product, Borden’s Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk.  He had invented condensed milk originally as a milk product that required no refrigeration for feeding babies. Once refrigeration came around in the United States after World War I, his product was used in making desserts.

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I’ve taken the original recipe used by my mom and adapted it slightly.  Anyone who knows me also knows how much I love Almond Joy candy bars. Although I don’t eat them often or any other candy for that matter, so I can maintain a healthy diet, I do love to splurge a little during the holiday season. So when I decided to make these bars, I adapted the recipe a bit by using sliced almonds and fat free sweetened condensed milk. I was able to cut some of the fat and enjoy a cookie bar that reminds me of my beloved Almond Joy! Of course, there’s still unsalted butter, but it’s the holidays, and I did cut some of the fat calories and salt!  Now if I could just get Almond Joy to cut some of the fat in their famous recipe, I would be even happier, but I don’t see that happening any time soon!

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Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars…A Slightly Different Blast from the Past!
(slightly adapted from Eagle Brand Magic Cookie Bars )

1/2 cup of unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (14 ounce) can fat free sweetened condensed milk
6 ounces mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/3 cups flaked coconut
1 cup slice almonds

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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (325 degrees if using a glass baking dish).  In a 13 x 9 inch baking dish or pan, melt the butter by placing it in the dish and putting it in the heated oven. Once the butter is melted, sprinkle the graham cracker crumbs into the butter spreading it evenly across the pan. Next, spread the condensed milk poring it evenly across the top of the graham cracker layer. The chocolate chips are then spread evenly over the top, followed by the coconut flakes and finally, the sliced almonds; be sure to press down firmly. Bake the cookie bars for 25 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned.  When done, cool thoroughly. Once the recipe is completely cool, cut it into cookie bars.  Be sure to store them covered loosely at room temperature.

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These Almond Joy Magic Cookie Bars are definitely a slightly different blast from the past in our home! The recipe is basically the same old Magic Cookie Bars put out by Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk in the 1960’s with a few slight adaptations so I don’t feel as guilty when I bite into one. Aside from that, the recipe may not be original, but it is definitely well-loved here in our home. We get the flavor of an Almond Joy candy bar in a cookie, and for me especially, that is a win-win! So try this adaptation if you’re like me, and enjoy!

Italian Bow Knot Cookies…With Sweet Lemon Sugar Icing!

By Jodee Weiland

Every year during the holiday season, mom spent the weeks before Christmas baking all the different traditional Italian cookies and some new recipes she found.  One of her traditional cookie recipes was the Italian Bow Knot Cookies with Sweet Lemon Sugar Icing.

https://learnfromyesterday.comWe would watch her make the cookie dough, then take a piece and roll it into a finger width roll that she would cut off into five to six inch strips, and then carefully turn into a knot like shape.  Each one was placed on the cookie sheet until the tray was filled with these small dough bow knots. Once filled, the cookie sheet was placed in the oven, and to our amazement came out of the oven ten minutes later baked and ready to ice with her lemon sugar icing. Each bow knot cookie was quickly dunked, top side down, into the bowl of lemon sugar icing, and then placed carefully on a dish so the icing could set…the moment my sisters and I waited for patiently! An abundance of love went into every tradition celebrated by my family each year, and the baking of the Italian Bow Knot Cookie was just one of those wonderful traditions!

https://learnfromyesterday.comBoth my mother and father worked hard, sometimes at more than one job, to give each of us children every possible opportunity available, including the college educations our parents wanted to make sure we had! When Christmas came, each of us always woke up on Christmas morning to a beautiful tree with many gifts for each of us wrapped and waiting for our eager hands to unwrap! But what I remember most was the feeling and certainty that we were loved and placed above all else. From the baking of the cookies to the gifts under the tree to our huge Christmas meal, we were the luckiest children in the world because we had the best parents ever, and we all loved them just as much.

https://learnfromyesterday.comAlthough, these were just cookies to most people, to us they were a part of a tradition that epitomized family, home, and love! We all knew how hard our parents both worked for us. Despite being tired some days, mom would come home from work and begin baking cookies until late at night, so that we could all share in the Italian traditions she and dad were taught growing up. My parents both sacrificed a lot for all of us, and I know with certainty that my sisters and I will always love, respect, and appreciate everything they did for us! So as we repeat their traditions in our own homes each year, the memory of our childhood and the love we felt growing up is always fresh in our hearts and minds.

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Bow Knot recipe:

9 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
9 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
7 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Lemon Sugar Icing recipe: (you will probably need more than one batch of this recipe)

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon or more lemon juice (more or less depending on desired consistency)

Using a mixer, beat the eggs until creamy and lemon colored.  Gradually add the oil and blend together.  Then add the sugar, milk, and vanilla and beat for five minutes longer.  Add in the salt and baking powder, blending it into the mixture.  Finally, gradually mix in the flour one to two cups at a time.  When it gets too thick to blend with a mixer, begin using a spatula or spoon to blend it until it becomes thick enough and dough like enough to be mixed with your hands. Knead like bread with your hands until the dough is smooth.

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When the dough is ready, roll out a piece at a time with your hands into long finger width rolls first.  Cut off a section about five to six inches long and once rolled to desired thickness, the size of a thin finger, carefully fold one end over the other and tuck under forming a small knot like cookie.  It may take a few tries, but you should quickly be able to form knots you’re happy with for your cookies.  While doing this, keep the rest of the dough moist by covering it with a clean cloth lightly dampened.  Also, keep in mind that your cookies will rise a little while baking.  Place bow knots on a cookie sheet, approximately fifteen per sheet and three across.  Bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes. The bottom of the cookies should be lightly brown. While the cookies bake mix the Lemon Sugar Icing in a small bowl with a whisk until there are no lumps and the icing is smooth and the desired thickness.

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When the cookies come out of the oven, put the Lemon Sugar Icing on while they are still hot.  You may have to let them cool slightly, but as soon as you can, dunk each cookie top side down into the bowl of icing.  Then place the iced cookie on a plate so the icing can set. Once the icing is set, your cookies will be ready to eat.

https://learnfromyesterday.comItalian Bow Knot Cookies with Sweet Lemon Sugar Icing are soft and chewy with a delicious flavor enhanced by the sweet lemon taste of the icing!  Once you have one, you are definitely going to want more, so indulge yourself. Since my mom grew up in a family of eleven children, most of her recipes make plenty for everyone. The Italian Bow Knot cookie is definitely another favorite in our family among the children. It’s fun to watch the expressions on the children’s faces as they bite into this soft and delicious cookie. They love having these cookies with a cold glass of milk or even a warm cup of hot chocolate.  The adults will prefer a fresh pot of coffee or hot tea for the most part, but either way these cookies are wonderful! Try them, and enjoy!

Italian Biscotti…An Italian Cookie and Family Favorite!

By Jodee Weiland

Every year at Christmas time, baking and eating Italian Biscotti cookies were a favorite part of the Christmas tradition in my family. When I was a child, I would watch my mother prepare and bake her slices, as we called them, with care.

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The anticipation of biting into that first slice once done kept me and my sisters very attentive through the whole process. When we finally were able to eat our first biscotti, it was always a piece of heaven as I remember it, filled with the delicious flavor of our Italian Christmas!

https://learnfromyesterday.comOnce I had children of my own, I continued the family tradition every Christmas. Italian Biscotti was one of many family cookies baked, but it was always a favorite. We would bake the biscotti slices and enjoy them throughout the entire Christmas holiday, savoring each bite! During those years I had a friend, who also grew up in an Italian family, so I tasted her family recipe as well. They were very much like ours, except for a few things.

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My family always used vanilla extract, while my friend’s family used anise.  It was good as well, but I never stopped using vanilla because that tasted like home to me.  Strangely enough, when people eat my slices, they love them, and they still claim to taste the anise which I do not use.  Anise certainly can be substituted for the vanilla.  It’s really just a matter of personal preference. Besides the use of anise in my friend’s family, they also used a little more baking powder, so their slices were a little larger and more airy.  I liked this effect, so I increased the amount of baking powder in our family recipe and added the one more egg and a little more vegetable oil, sugar, and vanilla.  With these slight adaptations to amounts, not ingredients, I was able to make my Italian Biscotti larger and more airy as well. My mom tasted them when I first tried this and assured me that she approved! I know we all love them, so I’m sure you will, too.

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Italian Biscotti…An Italian Cookie and Family Favorite!

8 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons natural vanilla extract
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts
8 to 9 cups all-purpose flour (I used 8 1/2 cups)

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With a hand mixer in a large bowl, blend together the eggs, sugar, vegetable oil, vanilla, and baking powder.  Stir in with a spoon the chopped walnuts next.  Once done, begin adding flour one to two cups at a time.  At some point, you will need to mix this with clean hands because it will become too thick to stir with a spoon.  Make sure you have the flour measured and ready to add in gradually at this point because your hands will be sticky with dough.  Mix the dough together adding flour gradually until it becomes a workable dough and slightly sticky.  Divide the dough into four sections, one for each loaf (two long loafs to a pan). The cookie loafs will be flat and about 1/2 inch thick at most unlike bread before cooking them.  This recipe will make four loafs that will be sliced warm from the oven.

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Bake the cookie loafs at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until done but not overly done.  These cookies are twice baked.  When done remove from the oven and slice immediately while still warm. Take each slice and turn it on its side on the cookie sheet. Return to the oven and bake 5 to 7 minutes longer until lightly toasted on sides.  You do not need to turn them.

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Italian Biscotti is an Italian cookie and a family favorite in our home! In Prato, Italy, where they originated, Biscotti is an Italian word that means twice cooked or in this case, baked.  They are also known as cantuccini or coffee bread. Originally, these “biscuits” were twice baked to make them dry and crunchy and consequently, able to be stored for longer periods of time. When served, Italians here and abroad, love to dunk Italian Biscotti in their coffee or even wine.

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My father loved to dunk them in either, as did most of our family.  The children would dunk them in milk unless Poppy, my father and a lovable character, decided to introduce the grandchildren to the wonders of a little coffee in a lot of milk with plenty of sugar. He did this with my sisters and me when we were little as well.  It certainly didn’t kill any of us, although I would not recommend it.  Still, before you upbraid him for this lovable gesture, you should know both he and my mother lived to be ninety.  My father’s mother and his grandmother lived to be 100 and 103 years old. So I guess the fact that they all were avid coffee drinkers didn’t kill them, but that said, give the children milk.  They’ll love these cookies with their milk for sure! You’ll love them with whatever you choose to drink as well, so enjoy!