This holiday season, the Christmas Lights Guide crew at The Picayune Magazine dug deep into library archives for old-fashioned cookie and candy recipes. To make the cut, recipes had to be simple, short, and, oh, so sweet. All of these recipes can be found in cookbooks available for checkout at the Herman Brown Free Library, 100 E. Washington St. in Burnet. 

(NOTE: Minor editing for style and grammar.)

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Old Burnet County Jailhouse Cookbook II

Compiled by the Friends of Herman Brown Free Library, 2010

CROCKPOT CANDY

  • 1 (16 oz.) jar unsalted peanuts
  • 1 (16 oz.) jar salted peanuts
  • 1 (12 oz.) pkg. milk chocolate chips
  • 1 (4 oz.) bar German chocolate
  • 2 pkgs. white almond bark

Layer ingredients in a 1-gallon slow cooker in the order given. Cook on low for 3 hours. Mix melted ingredients with a wooden spoon, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Store in airtight containers.

PAP-PA’S COWBOY COOKIES

  • 2 c. brown sugar
  • 2 c. white sugar
  • 4 unbeaten eggs
  • 2 c. shortening
  • 4 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. baking powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 3 c. rolled oats
  • 1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
  • 1 c. chopped walnuts

Cream sugars, eggs, and shortening. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed ingredients. Fold in oats, chips, and walnuts. Shape into walnut-size balls. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes on greased cookie sheets. Makes 12-14 dozen cookies.

Burnet Presbyterian Church Cookbook: 125th Year Anniversary 1999

Compiled by Our Beloved Congregation

SOFT GINGERBREAD

  • 1 c. sugar
  • 1 c. dark corn syrup
  • 1/2 c. shortening
  • 1 c. boiling water
  • 2 eggs
  • 3 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. baking soda
  • 2 tsp. ginger
  • 1 tsp. allspice

Beat together sugar, corn syrup, shortening, eggs, and boiling water. Sift together flour, soda, ginger, and allspice. Add to the first mixture. Bake in a 9-inch-by-12-inch pan at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. 

Bread of Life: Recipes of Epiphany Church

Compiled by families of the church, 2007

CUT OUT BUTTER COOKIES

  • 2/3 c. butter (10½ Tbsp.)
  • 3/4 c. sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2-1 Tbsp. of vanilla
  • 2½ c. sifted flour
  • 1½ tsp. baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. milk

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg and beat until fluffy. Add vanilla and mix well. Sift dry ingredients and stir into creamed mixture. Add milk and beat until well mixed. Divide dough in half, cover, and chill for 1 hour. Roll dough until 1/4- to 1/2-inch thick and cut with cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. 

CAROL’S EASY ICING

  • 1 c. powdered sugar
  • milk
  • food coloring

Place sugar in a shallow bowl, add drops of milk, and stir until consistency is smooth. Experiment with thickness. Separate into small bowls to add food coloring. Let iced cookies dry completely before storing. 

Sharing Our Best Cookbook

From the cooks of First Baptist Church of Burnet, 1994

EASY FUDGE SQUARES

  • 1/2 c. margarine
  • 8 Tbsp. cocoa
  • 1 c. sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 3/4 c. flour
  • 1 tsp. vanilla 
  • 1/2 c. chopped pecans

Melt the margarine in the pan. Add cocoa and sugar. Cool and add slightly beaten eggs. Mix well. Add flour, vanilla, and pecans. Bake in an 8-inch square pan at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Do not overbake. 

Oatmeal Community Cookbook

The Oatmeal Extension Education Club, 2017

CHOCOLATE CRACKERS

  • Saltine crackers (about 40)
  • 1 c. margarine
  • 1 c. brown sugar
  • 6 oz. chocolate chips
  • 6 oz. finely chopped pecans

Line a cookie sheet with foil. Spread out crackers as flat as possible on the cookie sheet. Boil margarine and brown sugar for 3 minutes. Pour mixture over crackers. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips immediately onto the hot crackers. Spread with a spatula. Sprinkle pecans on top. Let cool and refrigerate. Break into pieces and enjoy!