Not a lot of cookies are made here at the cottage. Okay, I make shortbread cookies, they’re my favorite plain and also I’ve have experimented with add ins like pecans or orange zest, have even made a variation with brown sugar and pecans as a unique shortbread, but that’s about it for cookies. I do admit to enjoying bar cookies and the ease of making them,. yet I’ve wanted another cookie to add to my repertoire, if it’s a go to recipe that’s a bit different, with a crisp crumb and a bit of texture added, and of course loaded with southern flavors.
I ran across a cookie recipe- from a community cookbook that I’d kept for over 20 years- it called for walnuts and a few other things I knew would have to change before it would be a cookie I thought would taste good and be worth the time and effort. Now… the baker had called the recipe- ‘World’s Best Cookie’. Southerners do tend to exaggerate when it comes to making up a title for their recipes…everything is – Best, Delight, Divine or named, King or Queen– after Royalty or a famous ranch for all I know… Still. I wondered about this world’s best cookie…it did sound good, and except for the walnuts, had solid southern flavors. I’ve been clearing out my pantry for a fresh start to the new year and I had all of the ingredients on hand. You might have them too!
I tweaked the old recipe and what do you know? It’s a really good cookie. World’s Best, who knows? Still. For me to put our name on it- well, it’s has to be good!
I’ve named these cookies simply Camellia’s Cottage Cookies… easy to make, even easier to enjoy and the easiest to share! Otherwise… well, let’s just say I was standing there eating them one after another thinking- ‘I’ve got to get these cookies out of here!’ Hope you’ll try them. As always…
Love y’all, Camellia
Camellia’s Cottage Cookies
A truly good cookie that has everything but the kitchen sink- pecans, oats, coconut and even corn flakes! The butter makes the texture light and crisp. It’s a great after school snack or with all that fiber even a quick breakfast treat with a piece of fruit of course…
- 1 cup regular or frosted corn flakes (lightly crushed)
- 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats (not quick or instant)
- 1 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened is best)
- 3/4 cup coarse chopped pecans
- 1 cup butter (I use salted, if you don’t add 1 teaspoon of salt)
- 1 cup dark brown sugar (may use light brown)
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg- lightly beaten
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (sifted with flour)
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- In a large bowl, toss to combine- lightly crushed corn flakes, rolled oats, coconut and pecans. Set aside. With a stand mixer, cream butter and sugars until light, about 4 minutes. Add beaten egg, mix well- then add vanilla and almond extracts, beating well. Slowly add vegetable oil until well incorporated. Remove bowl from mixer.
- By hand, carefully add mixture of corn flakes, oats, coconut and pecans. Then, add one cup at a time of the sifted flour mixture. Be gentle but mix well.
- Drop by rounded tablespoons on ungreased sheet pans. Flatten each ball of dough with a fork dipped in water – making a cross hatch pattern.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 14-15 minutes. Check cookies after 12 minutes. Bake until lightly browned. Cool on wire racks. Makes 3-4 dozen.
I had frosted corn flakes in my pantry and they worked just fine! It’s important to cream the butter, sugars, egg, extracts and oil in the correct order- and to do this with a mixer. Folding in the mixture of oats, flakes, coconut and pecans must be done by hand to have that wonderful texture. Depending on the size cookies you make- adjust the baking time accordingly. These are truly good cookies!
*all photographs are mine!
I think we’re all ready for a fresh start after the holidays each year. By fresh start, I don’t mean getting rid of everything….more that I prefer to refresh, renew and repurpose what I already have, even what’s worked previously but for some reason has fallen by the wayside in the middle of … well, life. I try not to set goals that honestly set me up for failure, especially when it comes to exercise. Why? Ok, I’m not proud of the fact that I’m not athletic… one of the top posts here was written in the first year- it’s called 
With my first knee surgery, also from an injury, I recovered full rotation of my knee and I believe due to this yoga practice. My yoga practice has been sporadic but always effective and enjoyable for almost 20 years now!
So! Imagine my delight when Gaiam, a leader in these healthy practices of yoga and meditation along with fine products shared an offer with me, that I could pass along to you! I think yoga and meditation are great for any age- but especially for folks of…ahem… a certain age like me! It improves breathing, circulation, flexibility, posture and is uplifting and energizing. Best of all, many types of yoga are low impact and can be done in your own home, at your own pace and level of capability, no matter what age you may be. I am thrilled to extend an offer to you for 19% off all yoga and meditation products along with free shipping on all orders over $49 from Gaiam to jumpstart your 2019 goals! I think you will find yoga and meditation require very little equipment to get started. The main thing is to find exercises you enjoy and will do, yoga, gardening or… kickboxing? I for one am grateful that a yoga DVD from Gaiam is where I began. And it’s where I’m beginning the New Year; for my health and well being will once again start with my Gaiam yoga DVD. All the best with your own fresh start in 2019!
A certain type of Southern lady may be thought to be snobbish because she only joins small groups such as sewing circles, book clubs, altar guild or exclusive clubs with limited memberships. I’m here to dispel this ugly rumor. It’s not really about being exclusive, it’s more to do with her ancestor’s obsession concerning proper thank you notes!
If the all occasion blank notecards are hand embellished- well, it’s better…anything that has a personal touch is acceptable when engraved is simply too formal. I personally received a box of beautiful notecards as a Christmas gift, also I had picked up several packages of informal blank notecards during the past year. With snippets of ribbons found while I was putting away holiday packaging, I decided a bit of embellishment was in order for the thank you notes I still need to write- in my cursive writing of course. Using a paper hole punch placed in strategic locations, I threaded ribbon and even hem tape through the holes and tied them in cute bows.
That’s all there is to it. Still. I think they’re just precious. Oh my, how I do run on..Now. While I’m at it… and though it’s electronically transmitted– I hope my image won’t suffer too much for saying ‘Thank you’ to all y’all who have graciously followed this crazy blog in the last three years! You’ve made it so much fun for me, I hope we can continue to bring good things to your inbox in 2019 and hey! We’d appreciate it if you’d tell your friends about us too!
Since New Year’s Eve is known as a time for fireworks and tooting your own horn…we decided to take a look back and see what posts y’all seemed to like best before we declare in the very best southern fashion- ‘That’s all she wrote’ for 2018. To be honest, we were amused to see which ones they were… Given that there’s a whole slew of them… why choose the Top Five? Well, the number five is symbolic of Grace… We consider the fact that you read Camellia’s Cottage- a true measure of grace on your part with every single post-you don’t have to read what we write, when you do- well, it’s a kind and gracious thing to do. Also, our mission statement for writing all of this for nearly three years is to present ‘the wit and wisdom, the graciousness and generosity, artistry and beauty of southern people’ to still be relevant today as it was when we first began. Then, there is a grace note in music- where you have an extra note…give a little extra trill than the score of music called for- we hope to always give you just a little bit more than you expected- a funny story along with a recipe, a beautiful photograph to accompany a project even a bit of trivia or history in our travels along the way. So, without further ado… here’s the New Year’s Eve countdown of the top 5 posts for 2018… Drumroll please…
Coming in at Number 5 is none other than Cookbook Therapy… in which I regale my love of reading cookbooks as literature in addition to recipes of course… Find this humor piece at 
In 4th place is one of my personal favorites- Going Away Outfits… which recounts the… dare I say, ‘old custom’ when a bride’s trousseau included a suit or nice dress to wear when leaving for the honeymoon! I totally enjoyed this because it includes some very good friends who were very good sports for sharing photographs! Find this one at 
In 3rd place for 2018 was a post actually written in 2017 about a southern girl with Alabama ties- whose become a quite famous actress, none other than Sandra Bullock! This post is about a type of Southern lady whom gentlemen tend to admire, entitled – Smart Sassy and Southern… I totally enjoyed sharing this one with you but was also totally floored that it was in the top 5! Find it at 
Now, I have to admit I thought y’all loved my grandmother’s cooking and our recipes best of all, however, only one recipe post made the top 5 in 2018! Of course it was a post called Mimi’s Fried Chicken! I shouldn’t be surprised because fried chicken is almost synonymous with Southern Cooking! Find our Number 2 at 
In First Place– now really I shouldn’t be surprised at this one- Sinking Spells… This post was also written in 2017 and consistently it has spoken to women all over the place, though I thought originally that Sinking Spells were particular to the South! Find Sinking Spells – our number one post for 2018 at 
