Puffy Brown Cookies...

This recipe has been around for years... infact, I'm not really sure just where it came from... but, years ago, we sent my sister some cookies in a holiday package.... and she immediately reported that the "Puffy Brown Cookies" were her favorite... so, we've called them that every since!!

It's an unusual recipe because it does not use any water, vanilla, or granulated sugar... and all the moisture comes from the eggs and applesauce

Alice's Applesauce Cookie Recipe

3 cups solid vegetable shortening (Crisco)
4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
4 Jumbo size eggs
2 cups Applesauce (I prefer Musselman's Cinnamon Applesauce for more flavor)
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9 cups all-purpose bleached white wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons fine granulated table salt
1 Tablespoon fine ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon fine ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit (190 degrees Celsius).
With an electric mixer, thoroughly cream together the shortening, brown sugar, and eggs in an extra large mixing bowl; then add applesauce and mix well. Measure and blend dry ingredients and add a few cups at a time to wet ingredients, mixing thoroughly after each addition, until all dry ingredients have been added.

Drop by generous teaspoonfuls on to airbake type cookie sheets, lined with aluminum foil. Bake 12 to 14 minutes, or until the top of the cookie no longer looks wet. Exact cooking time is going to vary depending upon your oven, and the size of the cookies. When the cookies appear done, remove from oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet. Store in airtight container or place in Ziploc type freezer bags or Gladware and freeze.

These cookies are great just plain ~ but, for holidays such as Valentine's Day or Christmas, they can be decorated (as shown on the right hand side of the image above) with candied cherry halves, pressed into the dough lightly, before baking. You may also stir in 2 cups of seedless raisins, chopped cranberries pieces, or chopped apple pieces, and/or 1 cup of chopped nuts, after the dough is thoroughly mixed.

This dough keeps well for a couple of days, in the refrigerator, if you don't wish to bake them all at once. The finished cookies ship well, and keep well in the freezer.

Note: If you live alone, or you do not have an extra large mixing bowl, simply divide all the ingredients in half (just remember that 3 teaspoons equals 1 Tablespoon so the correct amount of cinnamon for 1/2 a batch is 1 1/2 teaspoons). For my international friends ~ please remember that conversion charts for cups to grams are readily available ~ just Google!

and here's a weird one if you store your jar of applesauce upside down in the refrigerator (soes that the inside of the cap stays moist) the applesauce will not mold before you are able to use it all!!

I hope you like the cookies!