Jumbles - Drop Cookies - Little Cakes

Last Edit December 23, 1999

Jumbles are a "jumble" of ingredients - thrown together quickly and easily. No muss, no fuss. Got to be the easiest cookie to make ever. They have a wide range of variations and they appear in every cookbook - as drop cookies.

Jumbles - Plain

1/2 Cup soft shortening (mix of Crisco and butter-substitute)
1/2 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/8 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1/4 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cream together the shortening and sugar and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on a light greased cookie sheet (spray with Pam). Bake until lightly brown - cookies will be soft - approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the cookie sheet. Cookies are little cakes. Ice if you wish or serve plain. Recipe makes a full cookie sheet - not much more. To get a rounded teaspoon, use a round sugar-spoon.

Coconut Jumbles

To the plain jumbles or the Jubilee jumbles, add 1 Cup moist, shredded coconut.

Glazed Orange Jumbles

Mix 1 1/2 teaspoon grated orange rind into the dough. While still hot, dip into the orange glaze (below).

Nut Jumbles

Stir in 2 Cups chopped nuts to the jumble dough.

Cinnamon Jumbles

1/2 Cup soft shortening (mix of Crisco and butter-substitute)
1 Cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup buttermilk
2 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Cream together the shortening and sugar and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients. Chill dough (put it in the refrigerator for 4 hours). Heat oven to 400 degrees. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on a light greased cookie sheet (spray with Pam). Sprinkle with a mix of sugar and cinnamon (1/4 Cup sugar and 1 teaspoon cinnamon). Bake until set - not brown - cookies will be soft - approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the cookie sheet. Makes about 4 dozen 2" cookies.

"Snickerdoodles"

A weird name for an old cookie - great served with cold milk. Notice how close the above recipe and this one are in ingredients and measures. This one uses more sugar.

1/2 Cup soft shortening (mix of Crisco and butter-substitute)
1 1/2 Cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 Cup buttermilk
2 3/4 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon Cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

Cream together the shortening and sugar and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Roll dough into 2" balls and roll in a mixture of 2 tablespoons sugar and 2 tablespoons cinnamon and put light greased cookie sheet (spray with Pam). Bake until set - cookies will be soft - approximately 8-10 minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the cookie sheet. Makes about 4 dozen 2" cookies.

Drop Butter Cookies - Jumbles made with brown sugar

3/4 Cup margarine
1 Cup brown sugar
1/4 Cup milk
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt

"Jubilee Jumbles"

This caramel version is in the Betty Crocker book but Jumbles and their variants have been around for ages. These are actually brown sugar jumbles. Browned butter in the icing provides the caramel flavor.

1/2 Cup soft shortening (mix of Crisco and butter-substitute)
1 1/2 Cup Dark Brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 Cup sour cream
1 Cup of chopped nuts - optional

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Mix all together. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls about 2" apart on a light greased cookie sheet (spray with Pam). Bake until lightly brown - cookies will be soft - approximately 10 minutes. Cool slightly and then remove from the cookie sheet.

The Jubilee Jumbles - I put them on the cookie sheet, noticed they were a bit thin. A clue...I had left out the shortening! Put them back in the bowl, added shortening, beat it back in, dropped them back on the pan (yes, I washed it between times), cooked them. And I screwed up the icing - grainy just a little - almost hard candy fudge. Stored, they got soft over night. Great! I love these things. I am showing good restraint. Trying to let the kid eat them.

Spice Jumbles

1/2 Cup soft shortening (mix of Crisco and butter-substitute)
1 1/2 Cup Brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 1/4 Cups sifted Gold Medal flour
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 Cup applesauce
1 Cup raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1 Cup of chopped nuts - optional

Browned Sugar Glaze

1/2 Cup butter or substitute
2 Cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) - sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons hot water

In a heavy skillet over low heat, heat the butter or its substitute until golden brown. This will give the caramel flavor. (Sorry - but the best version is with real butter. But margarine will do.) However, if you do not really brown it, you will not get the flavor.

Remove from heat. If you do not, it will "cook" and the sugar will be grainy.
Sift the confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar). If you do not sift, you will get lumps.
Stir in the sugar and vanilla, slowly adding from 2 to 4 tablespoons of water until it is of spreading consistency. This means soft when cooled slightly. Spread on the cookies.
If the icing is thick, thin it 1/2 teaspoon of water at a time. If it is thin, add sifted sugar, 1/8 Cup at a time. If it has sugared, toss it.

White Sugar Glaze

1/2 Cup Crisco or margarine, melted but not browned
2 Cups confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) - sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-4 tablespoons milk

Stir in the sugar and vanilla, slowly adding from 2 to 4 tablespoons of water until it is of spreading consistency. TO color, use 2-4 drops of food color, adding one at a time to achieve the desired color.

Less Fat White Frosting

2 Tablespoons Crisco
2 Cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Milk - add a teaspoon at a time. Start with 2 Tablespoons.

Melt the Crisco (or margarine) with the milk, remove from heat, beat in the sugar (sifted). Add either more milk or more sugar to reach a spreading consistency - a little stiff. Add vanilla and beat smooth. When cool, this is very, very stiff. Spread before cooling - dipping the knife into hot water as you go along.

Orange Sugar Glaze

1/3 Cup sugar
3 Tablespoons orange juice
1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Heat. Dip orange jumbles into it and place on a wire rack to cool.

How to Rescue Glazes and Frostings

When a glaze is too thin, add more confectioner's sugar, 1/4 Cup at a time. ALWAYS SIFT the sugar. Beat until smooth.

When a glaze is too thick, add a teaspoon of milk, beat smooth.