Cocoa-Molasses Drop Cookies

From 1985-2015, H. Robert Sharbaugh was a member of the Country Club of Asheville and had served time as a member of the board for a number of years. He was very well-known and admired by club members and staff alike. He meant a great deal to me, especially during my earlier years at the club. One memory of him that stands out to me in particular was the year that, this self-proclaimed chocoholic, gifted me a very old, yet pristine Hershey’s cookbook from 1934 that had been revised and reprinted in 1971. I think of him fondly every time I open the binding to see his name on the inside cover. Thank you for your service to our country and the many laughs throughout the years. This one is for you Mr. Sharbaugh!

Yield: Approximately 2-3 Dozen Cookies

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature
1/3 Cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 Cup Molasses
1 Egg
1 Cup All-Purpose Flour, sifted
1 TSP Baking Powder
3 TBSP Hershey’s Cocoa Powder or whatever you have on hand
1/2 Cup Chopped Nuts

 

Directions:

Cream butter and sugar; add molasses and the egg.

Sift together all dry ingredients and add to wet ingredients.

Fold in the nuts and scoop mixture into 1 inch rounds onto a greased and lined sheet pan.

Bake at 375°F for 8 to 10 minutes.

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Holiday Meringue Cookies

By Chris Shaw, Holston Hills Country Club

Chris Shaw looks forward to the holiday season every year, for a lot of reasons. One of those reasons, that is close to his heart, is his mother’s Meringue Cookies. Shaw says each time he has one it takes him back to being a child when he would make them with his mom. He knew right away what cookie he wanted to submit for the Cookie of the Month when asked. He wanted to share the cookie that means so much to him with his McConnell Golf Family.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

4 Each Egg White                                                   

½ TSP Cream of Tartar                                                      

Pinch of Salt                                                            

1 Cup of Granulated Sugar (Superfine)  

Directions:                  

Preheat oven to 225° F.

Mix egg whites with whip attachment in mixer until frothy. Add Cream of Tartar and salt.

Continue whipping until soft peaks form. While mixer is on low speed, slowly add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until it has dissolved and stiff peaks are formed.

Using a star tip in a piping bag, pipe out the meringue onto a parchment paper lined baking sheet, spaced 2 inches apart.

Bake for 45 min and then turn off the oven. Without opening the door, let cookies stand in oven for 1 hour.

Store in air tight container.

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Bourbon Chocolate Sugar Cookies

By Bruce McIntosh, Chef at the Country Club of Asheville

Ingredients:

1 ¾ Cup All-Purpose Flour

¾ Cup Dutch Process Cocoa Powder, sifted

½ TSP Baking Soda

¼ TSP Baking Powder

½ TSP Kosher Salt

½ Cup Unsalted Butter, room temperature

½ Cup (8 tablespoons) Unflavored Vegetable Shortening, room temperature

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

¾ Cup Packed Light Brown Sugar

1 Large Egg

1 Large Egg Yolk

3 TBSP Bourbon (optional, replace with 1 TBSP Vanilla Extract)

3 OZ. grated or very finely chopped dark or Semisweet Chocolate

1 Cup Raw/Turbinado Sugar

2 TSP Bourbon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter until no longer chunky. Add shortening and beat on medium-high speed until smooth and uniformly mixed. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat for 1 to 2 minutes until light and fluffy.

Add egg and egg yolk, and mix until incorporated; scrape down the sides of the bowl and the beater as necessary. Slowly mix in bourbon.

Add dry ingredients in two additions, mixing on low speed until just incorporated. Mix in finely chopped chocolate. If your dough is particularly soft you can refrigerate it for 10 to 15 minutes or so to make it easier to roll.

To make bourbon sugar, combine raw sugar and 2 teaspoons bourbon in a pint-sized mason jar. Screw on lid and shake the heck out of it, until sugar is evenly moistened and looks something like wet sand. Pour into a shallow bowl or dish.

Scoop dough into 1 3/4-inch balls (the size of a medium cookie scoop). Roll into a smooth ball, then roll into bourbon sugar until evenly coated (the moist sugar will clump, but that’s the effect we’re going for!)

Arrange on parchment lined cookie sheets leaving approximately 2 inches of space between cookies.

Bake for 12 to 14 minutes or until cookies have settled into shallow domes. They will be set around the edges but still puffed in the middle (they will flatten when they cool). Let cool on pan for 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.

To store, spread any leftover bourbon sugar in the bottom of an airtight storage container; arrange cookies in layers on top and tightly cover. Cookies will keep at room temperature for up to 5 days.

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Gluten-Free Cornmeal Thumbprint Cookies

By Michael Monahan, Executive Chef at Grande Dunes Members Club

A startling number of people these days are reporting gluten sensitivities, and gluten-free baking has become a “subset” of baking. I love the flavor and texture of these tender gluten-free cornmeal-based cookies, and the way the raspberry flavor complements the corn. Yield: 3 dozen “Bite sized” cookies

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ Cups All-Purpose Gluten-Free Rice Flour

1 Cup Yellow Cornmeal

1 TSP Baking Powder

½ TSP Table Salt

1 ¾ sticks Unsalted Butter, softened, plus more for pans

¾ Cup Firmly Packed Light-Brown Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 TSP Vanilla Extract

½ Cup Seedless Raspberry Preserves (or jelly of your choice)

   

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350° and set two racks to the middle positions, with space in between. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper (or grease lightly with butter).

In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the rice flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Using a standing or handheld mixer, beat the butter and brown sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat. Add the dry ingredients and beat until smooth.

Portion the dough into 1inch balls, and arrange them 2 inches apart on the baking sheets. Press each with your thumb; then fill each depression with a teaspoon of raspberry jam. Bake until just barely golden brown on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through. 

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Pecan-Chocolate Chip Delights
By: James R. Patterson III of Sedgefield Country Club

 

Ingredients:

1 Cup Unsalted Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

1 Cup Vegetable Oil

1 Large Egg

1 TSP Baking Soda

1 TSP Salt

1 TSP Vanilla

1 ¼ Cups Quick Cooking Oats

3 ½ Cups All-Purpose Flour

1 ¼ Cups Lightly Crushed Cornflakes

¾ Cup Chopped Pecans

¾ Cup of Mini Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

 

Directions:

Note: dough requires chilling.

Cream butter and sugars in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream until light and fluffy. You can also use a hand mixer. Add oil and stir until smooth.

Add egg and vanilla, mix until smooth, then stir in the salt and baking soda.

Mix in oats and flour until just mixed. Stir in chocolate chips, pecans and cornflakes.

Scoop 2 tablespoon balls of cookie dough onto a cookie sheet covered in wax or parchment paper. No need to spread the balls out, you’re just going to chill them. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least one hour. (If you chill longer than 4 hours you may need to let them warm up a few minutes on the counter before baking.)

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or silpat baking mats. Place cookies 2” apart on prepared cookie sheets. Lightly press down with the palm of your hand. Bake for 9-11 minutes or until the bottoms just start to turn golden brown. Cool at least 5 minutes on cookie sheet before removing to rack to cool completely.

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

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Footprints on the Green, McConnell Golf’s community engagement program, encourages members and club staff to join forces to give back to the community. The program often encompasses food drives and community service days, but recently participants have contributed by playing golf. A lot of golf.    

Golf Marathon Supports Folds of Honor

On May 27, Holston Hills Assistant Professional Joey Batuello played a golf marathon to support Folds of Honor. Staff also participated at CC of Asheville and Old North State Club, and together the sister properties raised over $40,000.

After a “breakfast of champions” complete with “some pre-emptive Advil”, Batuello headed to the club on his day off.  He played a total of 180 holes covering a whopping 62,717 yards in 13 hours and 15 minutes. Batuello finished 13-under-par for the day with 33 birdies, two eagles and just one double bogey. Amazingly, he played the first 145 holes using the same ball.

Batuello was inspired to join the cause by the CC of Asheville golf staff, who invited others to join them in the golf marathon. “I have some family that served and two of my best friends are currently serving in the Navy,” Batuello explained. “It’s an absolutely perfect reason to do it.”

The Folds of Honor mission is to provide educational scholarships to the spouses and children of America’s fallen and disabled service members.

Batuello set out to raise $5,000 in donations, the equivalent of one scholarship. The Holston Hills membership responded immediately, meeting the goal in less than 48 hours. When all was said and done, Batuello had raised nearly $19,000.

“It’s just awesome to see how they rally around our troops, our soldiers, and our country,” he said of the Holston Hills membership.

Batuello admitted that midway through his fifth 18-hole round of the day, the aches and back pain began to creep in enough to take some more Advil. But his motivation behind the marathon encouraged him to keep going.

“You gotta think about soldiers who are going all day long,” he said. “They can’t stop. It’s not like they have a way [to rest] if they’re going through the desert or they’re going through anything. Why should I stop because I’m in a little pain?”

 

PGA Shootout Event Expands the Effort

Just a few days following Batuello’s exploits, Holston Hills stepped up again, when a foursome of PGA Tour players who hail from the Knoxville area — three-time tour winner Scott Stallings, Wes Roach, Peter Malnati and Eric Axley, who is a member at Holston Hills — participated in the Holston Hills Country Club PGA Shootout presented by Pete Michaels Traffic.

All told, the event raised $6,000 for local charities. “It's nice to be able to give back, playing junior golf in Knoxville here,” said Roach.

    

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Ice Box Cookies 

By Rhett Sorg of The Reserve at Pawley’s Island

Yields Two Dozen Cookies

    

Ingredients:

4 Cups Light Brown Sugar

1 Cup Shortening

4 Eggs (lightly beaten)

2 TBSP Club Soda

1 TBSP Hot Water

1 TBSP Cream of Tartar

1 TBSP Vanilla Extract

5 Cups Flour

2 Cups Chopped Pecans (optional)

 

Directions:

Mix Club Soda, Hot Water.  Cream sugar and Shortening, add Eggs, Soda Mixture, Cream of Tartar, Vanilla Extract and Flour. 

Add Pecans (optional).  Mix thoroughly. 

Roll into logs of desired width.  Refrigerate overnight. 

Slice cookie dough to desired thickness and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven. 

Dough can be frozen.  No need to thaw when slicing after frozen.

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