Gumdrop Cookies

February 15: National Gumdrop Day

We used to play the board game, Candy Land, when we were kids. In the vintage version, our game pieces traveled through Gumdrop Mountains. In newer layouts of the game, the journey through Candy Land took players through Gumdrop Pass. We are not sure if gumdrop locations still exist in the newer and online editions. But gumdrops, in all its colorful, sugar-coated gummy goodness, are a classic candy! Whenever we bake them in cookies, kids and kids-at-heart enjoy the crisp confection with chewy-gooey gumdrops. These sweet snacks are a treat to eat while playing Candy Land and celebrating National Gumdrop Day.

Recipe

(Adapted from Taste of Home)

Ingredients

• ¾ cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar, divided use
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• 1 ¾ cup flour
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 cup gumdrop candies (spiced or fruit-flavored), chopped
• 2 egg whites

Directions

In a large mixing bowl, cream the shortening with ¾ cup sugar. Stir in the almond extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour with the baking soda and salt. Gradually mix the dry ingredients with the wet ones (the dough will be dry).

Mix in the chopped gumdrops. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the remaining ¼ cup sugar and beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the dough until moistened.

On foil-lined ungreased cookie sheets, drop by teaspoonsful about two inches apart. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool to a crisp. Yield: Approximately 2 ½ – 3 dozen gumdrop cookies.

Notes

• For bigger mounds of gumdrop cookies, scoop tablespoons of the dough onto the baking sheet and bake for another 5 minutes. For flatter cookies, press down on the dough before baking.
• For holiday baking, change the colors of the gumdrops to black and orange for Halloween and red and green for Christmas.