The elusive 5-way sugar cookie

from Life magazine, November 14, 1949, page 90

The aforementioned recipe, as I remember it, in all it's colored glory!

Now here is my transcription of the recipe, and some notes from the first time I made it in 30 years or so...

Ann Pillsbury’s 5-Way Holiday Cookies

From Life magazine November 14, 1949

Yield: 7 dozen medium (I get more)

• 1 ¼ cup shortening (1/2 butter)
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 eggs
• ¼ cup cream
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 4 cups sifted flour
• 2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 ½ tsp. salt

Cream shortening and sugar; add eggs, cream and vanilla and beat until light. Mix all dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into five equal portions and mix in additions, below.

Form cookies by Tablespoonfuls on greased cookie sheet, flattening each spoonful slightly, and bake at 400° for 8 to 10 minutes.

Additions:

For Orange-Pecan: 1T. grated Orange rind (zest) and ¼ cup chopped pecans; top each cookie with a pecan half.

For Coconut: add ½ cup shredded coconut; dip tops in beaten egg (yolk or white) and dip in plain or colored coconut.

For Chocolate-Nut: 1 sq. melted baking chocolate (unsweetened) and ¼ cup chopped nuts and 1 Tablespoon cream.

Fruit: ½ cup chopped candied fruit (fruitcake mix) or mock mincemeat.

Plain: top with colored sugar.

Variations:

These take 10 minutes to bake in my 400° oven. Coconut always seems slightly underbaked and may need another minute.

Fruit and spice: chopped a combination of seeded raisins and candied ginger, total about 1/3 cup and about ½ tsp freshly ground spices (cinnamon, cloves, mace, black pepper and coriander). Good but could use more raisins and spice.

I didn’t much care for the fruitcake variation as a child. The pecan-orange is probably to best balanced and most distinctive flavor combination.

Must go now - gotta start Jamie's birthday cake.