John Deere cookies combine some great flavours like maraschino cherries, walnuts and coconut.
This recipe for John Deere Cookies is an old recipe of my Mom’s. I have no idea why they are called John Deere cookies other than the fact that my Dad worked as a mechanic for John Deere. I found this recipe in my Mom’s scribbler where all her favourite recipes were handwritten with notes of who gave her the recipe or adaptations she had made.
Making these cookies was a special time with my Mom who had to move into a nursing home 6 months ago due to her progressing dementia/Alzheimer’s. Its been a very difficult time for my family especially my Dad who is still living at home on his own. As heart-breaking as it is to see the challenges my parents are facing it is important to take the time to enjoy special moments. My Mom always enjoyed baking, and with 5 kids to feed, her baking was always quickly devoured.
Mom looking through the well stained pages of her notebook ” Favourite recipes for cookies and cakes”.
Baking cookies with Mom in the nursing home was a great way to spend the afternoon and I am thankful to the staff at St Mary’s Villa in Humboldt for letting us use the kitchen. I pre-measured all the ingredients at home and placed them in containers to make assembling the cookies easy.
The John Deere cookies are almost ready for the oven! Of course Mom had to try to cookie dough to make sure it was good.
Its been a while since I’ve enjoyed some home baked cookies made by Mom! Now for the final step baking these delicious cookies.
Mission accomplished! Everyone had to come see where that delicious smell was coming from. I think my Mom is quite proud of her freshly baked cookies that were enjoyed by the staff and other residents.
John Deere Cookies
Ingredients
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 3/4 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1/2 cup walnuts or any nuts you like
- 1/2 cup maraschino cherries drained, pat dry, chopped in pieces
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350º and line baking sheet with parchment paper
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Blend together flour, baking soda and salt
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Place butter and sugar in mixing bowl and beat until fluffy.
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Add egg and vanilla.
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Mix in 1/2 flour mix and combine well.
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Add milk, combine, then stir in remaining flour mix.
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At this point we had to start hand mixing as our hand mixer wasn't powerful enough to combine.
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Stir in coconut, walnuts and maraschino cherries
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Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon of dough and form into ball.
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press dough down with fork.
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bake 350º for 10-12 minutes
VERY NICE! WHAT A SPECIAL MOMENT FOR YOU AND MOM!
It was a very special time with Mom.
I love that you have this special memory with your mom.
Thanks Kristen, my Mom really enjoyed baking, it has been a while since she was able to do it.
Oh, yeah, these look terrific! They’d be great for the holidays—though I want them now 🙂
P.S. My mom passed away from Alzheimer’s last year–it’s a rough road, but you’ll never regret the time you spend with her. xoxo
I so sorry about your Mom Liz, yes it is a tough road, especially for my Dad who is still at home. You are so right about how precious spending time with both my elderly parents is.
That’s so nice you got to bake with your mom. The quality time is so important!
What a sweet post!
Such a SWEEET post!!!
I want to give your mom a hug! She looks like she is having such a great time! The cookies look delicious too!
Awe that is so sweet, it was a very nice way to spend some time with my Mom.
It is funny how food preparation brings back memory and moments to treasure. Her eyes are all sparkly and she looks like both of you are having fun. What a lovely thing to do with her. I shall think of you both every time I make these wonderful cookies! The taste is so homey and comforting. These are in now in my “Heirloom recipe” folder. Thank you so much for sharing this memory and recipe.
thank you so very much Wendy for your kind words. This was a very special time with my Mom. She has declined significantly since this time, so I am so very glad I took photos and some video of us together baking.