Russian Rocks
My grandma Betty Glick was from Texarkana, TX and may have clipped this family favorite from a local newspaper in the 1960s or 70s because her original copy attributes it to Sanger-Harris, once a large Dallas department store. It’s a not-too-sweet cookie that is chock full of raisins and pecans and accented with rum and rum extract. All our extended family members and friends enjoyed these cookies among the many other sweets lovingly baked and packed into tins that Grandma Betty carried or shipped whenever she would visit Bethesda over the years. My memories of traveling to Texarkana always included making a beeline for the cookie jar or checking under the cake dome to enjoy Grandma’s from-scratch delicacies. These Russian Rocks are great for a Chanukah party or a winter cookie exchange.
Ingredients
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1½ teaspoons ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 4 eggs
- ¼ cup rum
- 1 teaspoon rum extract
- 2 cups raisins
- 2 cups pecans, chopped
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease 3 cookie sheets or line with parchment paper. Sift together flour, baking soda, nutmeg and salt into a medium bowl. Cream together butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture. Alternate adding the flour mixture and the rum and rum extract to the butter-sugar mixture. Stir in raisins and nuts. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden.
Marc Glosserman
