The Ingredients
(See links for specific recommendations!)
For the Filling:
For the Dough:
8 oz cream cheese (softened to room temperature)
1 ½ sticks butter (12 tablespoons)
3 cups all-purpose flour
Confectioners’ sugar (for rolling) The Recipe Instructions
Prepare the Filling:
In a double boiler, (or microwave if you are me) melt the chocolate chips and margarine (or butter) together until smooth.
Remove from heat and stir in the sweetened condensed milk and ground walnuts or nuts.
Allow the mixture to cool, then refrigerate until firm, forming a lump.
Make the Dough:
In a large bowl, mix the softened cream cheese, margarine, and flour by hand until a smooth dough forms. (This can be done by hand, but a mixer also works).
Divide the dough into small portions for easier handling. Amie's Edit: Divide the dough into small spheres and put them in the fridge for about 20 minutes. The dough is VERY sticky and can be difficult to handle, you want it to be malleable but still soft enough to form the blanket around the chocolate logs.
Assemble the Logs:
Sprinkle confectioners’ sugar onto a sheet of unwaxed parchment paper. Amie's Edit: I use this Reynold's Wrap Nonstick aluminium foil. It is the most incredible kitchen consumable I have ever found, you can peel melted burnt cheese off this and it won't even bat an eye.)
Roll a small portion of dough into a thin sheet about ½ inch thick.
Cut the dough into strips approximately 5 inches long.
Take a small portion of the chilled filling and place it onto a strip of dough. Amie's Edit: The mixture can be a bit hard depending on how long you left it in the fridge. I have zapped it for 30 seconds or so to soften it up. It should feel like playdoh. You can easily roll the chocolate in your hands and place it on the dough for ease.
Roll the dough over the filling, jelly-roll style, sealing the edges.
Amie's Edit: Add additional powdered sugar all over the tops of the logs. Be generous with the dusting.
Bake:
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Arrange the logs on an aluminum lined baking sheet.
Bake for 12–15 minutes, or until the logs are lightly golden.
Cool and Serve:
Allow the logs to cool completely before serving. Enjoy!
Amie's edit: I like to add additional powdered sugar on the finished cookies. When they are cool, they can be cut into halves or even smaller.
Note: This recipe is adapted from Grandma Jo's handwritten recipe card. I made a few tweaks after some experimentation and used a similar modern recipe as a reference when I first attempted to recreate it. Her original instructions needed a bit of deciphering for this novice, (Grandma Jo was a master chef and baker, and I am an experimenter at best!) but the results were well worth it!
Cookie Wars: A Tale of Sibling Rivalry and Grandma Jo/Fred’s Legacy
When I was a kid, my Grandma Jo would send care packages filled with her homemade treats, including her legendary cookies. These cookies sparked full-blown battles in our house—complete with secret hiding spots, late-night retrieval missions, and shameless bribery. It got so intense that my parents had to enforce a rule: everyone was allowed just one cookie each.
It’s no wonder these cookies became the centerpiece of our household skirmishes. The dough, made with butter and cream cheese, bakes into a rich, tender, and delicately crisp shell. Inside, a luscious filling of melted chocolate and sweetened condensed milk awaits, making every addictive bite irresistibly indulgent.
The beauty of this recipe is its versatility! While milk chocolate was the OG and our classic childhood favorite, I’ve also created a 'grown-up' version with dark chocolate and almonds. This is the one that I make most often for my (now adult) siblings. For a wonderful friend and coworker whose family loves white chocolate, I swapped in pure white chocolate instead. Her awesome kids quickly dubbed their version 'Grandma Fred's Cookies'—why, we’ll never know, but I absolutely love it!
Feel free to experiment with different flavors! Add your favorite candy or nuts to the chocolate and condensed milk mixture before chilling. The possibilities for creating your own 'Grandma's ____' cookies are endless.
If you come up with a new combo (especially one with its own quirky 'Grandma X' name), I’d love to hear about it—bonus points for creativity!
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