Rare Book Curator, Carolyn Shankle, is cooking her way through SCUA’s vast North Carolina Cookbook Collection! She will have a new recipe each quarterly newsletter. This issue’s recipe comes from the North Carolina State College Woman’s Club Cook Book [undated, between 1952-1974], submitted by Mrs. H.A. Patten. This club was formed in 1919 with membership open to all women associated with the institution. Early membership included faculty wives, and as opportunities grew, female staff and faculty joined the club. For more information about the history of this organization, please follow this link: https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/news/special-collections/wonderful-100-womans-club
Some recipes assume that the reader has a wealth of culinary knowledge and only offer the barest of directions. This is one of those recipes:
ICEBOX CHEESE COOKIES Recipe
1 cup flour 1/4 cup butter
1 teaspoon salt 2 cups grated sharp cheese
1/4 teaspoon red pepper 1 cup chopped nuts
Mix ingredients and form into roll. Wrap in waxed paper and refrigerate overnight. Slice thinly and bake.
Temp. 350 degrees Fahrenheit Time: 12 Minutes Yield: 2 dozen
Mrs. H.A. Patten
First step is to chop the nuts. You can use pecans, almonds, peanuts, or walnuts. I used walnuts. Instead of chopping by hand, I used a food processor for both convenience and consistency.
In a large mixing bowl, I added the flour, salt, and red pepper, mixing those dry ingredients thoroughly. Next I added the grated sharp cheese, chopped nuts, and softened butter.
Because the dough includes nuts and cheese, it is stiff. I put on nitrile gloves and mixed by hand. I did try to use the stand mixer but found that the dough didn’t come together uniformly. Handling the dough was similar to working with pottery clay.
After forming the dough ball, I put it on a sheet of wax paper. I used the wax paper to assist in forming the roll. Once the roll was a suitable size, I put it in the refrigerator until the next day.
The next morning, I took out the refrigerated roll. During its time in the fridge, the nut oils and butter fat fully permeated the dry ingredients, making the dough shiny as well as dense. I ended up using a chef knife to slice the dough.
And the flavor? It reminds me of a denser cheese straw. They pair deliciously with hot tea or apple cider and keep well after baking. They are perfect for holiday cooking or cookie exchanges! They would need to be labeled for nuts, dairy, and gluten allergies. – Carolyn Shankle
