Back in the ’60s, it was a wondrous day on most Sundays when all ten cousins descended on my paternal grandparent’s tiny little white frame home. There were three steps leading up to the front door with a Confederate Rosebush standing tall reaching over the steps.

My grandfather was always dressed in khakis or dark pants and he always had on a white stiffly ironed shirt with a garter around the sleeves to hold the sleeves up. He would be sitting on the couch when we arrived and there was a ritual whereby we all lined up and filed by PawPaw. There were no hugs. We simply put out our hand and he kissed the back of our hands.

He called us all “Miss.” Sometimes I wondered if he knew our names. Maybe there were too many of us. He had a bit of hair that served as a combover and sometimes we would stand behind the couch and take turns combing his hair. My older sister, Diane, recalled in later years how he used to walk her to the ice cream stand nearby. She was the first grandchild and he was younger. When I was 10, he was about 85. That explained a lot as I thought about it in later years.

My grandparents were about twenty years apart in age but I always thought they looked about the same age. It was the times, I am sure. He was in his late 40s when he became a father and 50 when his last child was born or thereabouts. He was born in 1877, a few years after the Civil War. Wow, that always amazes me, and of course, he passed away before I had a chance to ask all the questions that are in my head now.

Grandmother always saw to it there were treats in her small fridge for us. There was the little Coca-Colas in the glass bottles. My cousin, Patsy, reminded me how we would hold the bottles up and look at the name of the state etched in the bottom of the bottle to indicate where it came from.

Grandmother also kept packages of my grandfather’s favorite cookies and generously shared with all of us. I have tried to replicate that cookie with this recipe. Patsy also reminded me (I need a lot of reminding these days.) that these were Devils Food Cake Cookies by Jack’s Cookies. They did have a little rim of white icing on the inside. One day, I may perfect that. The closest cookie these days would be the Snackwell Chocolate Cookie.

The older I get, the more curious I become and now there is no one one to fill in the gaps. So I do what I can to fill in some blanks like make these cookies and think on those wonderful years we spent on Byron Avenue.

Yield: 48

CHOCOLATE COOKIE CAKES WITH CHOCOLATE FROSTING

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soft chocolate cookie with fudge icing

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 22 minutes

Ingredients

COOKIE

• 1 chocolate cake mix ( I used a Betty Crocker mix)
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 cup oil

FROSTING

• 1 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 2 1/2 cups sifted powder sugar
• 3-4 tablespoons milk

Instructions

CAKE

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare cookie sheets with parchment paper or a light spritz of nonstick spray.

In a mixing bowl, add eggs and oil. Turn mixer on low and beat for one minute.

Slowly add cake mix while the mixer is on low until all has been added. The dough will be thick.

Use a small or medium cookie scoop to place on the cookie sheet. (I usually have 12 on a large cookie sheet.)

Bake about 10 minutes. Remove and allow cookies to cool at least 5 minutes before removing them.

Cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING

In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Add cocoa and stir until dissolved. Add 3 tablespoons of milk.

Slowly add the powdered sugar, a cup at a time, and whisk until combined. Another tablespoon or so of milk may need to be added if the frosting is too thick.

I like to dip my cookie and swirl it in the frosting or you can spoon the frosting over the cookies.

Notes

You do not need a mixer for the cookies but I find it goes faster.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

48

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 78Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 13mgSodium: 23mgCarbohydrates: 11gFiber: 0gSugar: 11gProtein: 0g

Nutrition information can vary for a recipe based on factors such as precision of measurements, brands, ingredient freshness, or the source of nutrition data.

“Memories are like antiques, the older they are the more valuable the became.”

– Marinela Reka