Laura has all of Grams’s old cookie recipes. When she was home, she made a full batch of Rike’s Cherry Cookies. Oh, so good!
Rike’s Department Store Memories
My grandmother, Freda Ramsey (who we called Grams), worked for years as the customer service manager for the furniture department at Rike’s Department Store in downtown Dayton, Ohio. I grew up in Brattleboro, Vermont, where downtown was composed of small, one- and two-story buildings, so going to visit Grams in Dayton meant going to the big city!
Around 1965, when I was seven years old, Grams and I shared a special lunch. We rode the bus downtown and rode the elevator to the fifth floor of Rikes where we had lunch at the Coin Room Restaurant.
Back in those days, ladies wore hats and gloves when they went out, and that’s what we both did that day. The Coin Room was by far the fanciest place I had ever been. I ordered a grilled cheese sandwich and soup, and was it ever good!
Rike’s Cherry Cookies Recipe
Whenever we went to Rikes, we always went to the bakery to buy cookies–specifically, cherry cookies. We loved those cookies! They were soft and chewy, a little bit spicy, and full of nuts and candied cherries.
When Grams stepped up to the counter at the bakery, the bakery ladies knew exactly what she wanted. Over the years, she got to know them well enough that when she asked for the recipe for those cookies, they gave her a copy.
A recipe for cookies made in a bakery makes a HUGE amount–this recipe makes about 5 dozen. It is written out in my grandmother’s hand; on the back (not pictured) is a 1/2 recipe written out in my dad’s hand. A half recipe still makes a LOT of cookies!
This is a favorite Christmas cookie at our house. I hope you love it as much as we do!
Rike’s Deprtment Store, photo from The Department Store Museum
The Coin Room Restaurant on the fifth floor of Rike’s. Photo from Dayton History Books Online.
The original recipe was written by Grams. On the backside of this card is the half recipe where my dad did the math for her. The half recipe is in the recipe card below.
Rike's Cherry Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 7/8 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/8 cup shortening
- 1 cup chopped nuts
- 2 eggs
- 3/4 tsp. vanilla
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 3/4 tsp. soda
- 1 3/16 cups flour
- 1 cup candied cherries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line three baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a medium bowl mix flour, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- Cream together the shortening and the sugar until light and creamy.
- Beat in the eggs and the vanilla.
- Mix in the dry ingredients until combined.
- Add the cherries and nuts and mix well.
- Roll about 3 Tablespoons of dough into balls and place on the cookie sheet about 6 inches apart.
- Bake for 8 minutes in preheated oven until just beginning to brown. While the recipe says 8 minutes, we found that it took closer to 11 in my oven.
- Allow to cool on the baking sheet for two minutes before removing to a cooling rack.