Want a REALLY good ice cream sundae? Ice-cream, fresh fruit, whipped cream, chocolate shavings, maybe a few sliced almonds…in a Cookie Cup! The Cookie Cup transforms a familiar, really good dessert a to a special, really GREAT dessert. People swoon. People moan. People linger.
This recipe has been in my files since I was a newlywed in 1981. I have only a photocopy of a page from a cookbook, no notations. I am pretty sure the photocopy is from a Sunset cookbook from the 1980s, but I am not certain.
Use any nuts you want, but I have specified my favorite combination. Other than that, I have made no changes to the original recipe.
Cookie Cups
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar (Light or dark brown sugar was not specified. I’ve used both, and prefer the dark)
1/2 cup light corn syrup
7 Tablespoons flour
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I use half pecans and half sliced almonds–both chopped finely)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Melt butter in a saucepan over low heat. Add in brown sugar and corn syrup and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring constantly. When liquid boils, remove from heat and stir in flour and nuts until well blended. Stir in vanilla.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a cookie pan with Pam for baking (or any other method you prefer). Make 2 cookies on one cookie sheet. For each cookie, pace 2 Tablespoons of batter in a puddle on the cookie sheet.
Batter before baking, above. After baking, below. See how it spreads? Only bake two cookies on one sheet!
Cookies will spread A LOT (you can bake 2 sheets at one time, if you move the sheets around after 5-6 minutes). Bake in 325 degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until cookies are lacy and have a rich golden brown color. Remove from oven and let cookie cool on the tray for a minute or two (but not much longer).
Turn a glass or very small bowl, with a flat, 2-inch diameter bottom, upside down onto counter. When the cookie edges are firm, but the cookie is still somewhat stretchy, with a wide metal spatula, transfer cookie from sheet to OVER the upside down glass on the counter. With your fingers, quickly press the cookie into the shape of the glass. The cookie will harden almost immediately. Leave the cookie there to cool a minute or two (while you get the next batch in the oven).
One cookie cooling over an upside down glass, one cookie completely cooled and removed from glass and standing straight and firm.
Remove cookie cup from glass. Cookie cups can be stored in “rigid” (I use tin) container for up to a week, or frozen for longer storage…, but they are delicate, so be careful.
Just before serving, place ice-cream, fresh fruit, whipped cream, whatever your heart desires, into the cookie cups and serve. You’ll see joy in your guests eyes.
Thanks for visiting my kitchen today. Stop by again for some homemade ice creams, sherbets and sorbets to put in the ice cream cups!
