Thursday, February 4, 2010

Turtle Cookies & The Armatage's

Some time in the 80's we had a senior missionary couple from Pocatello, ID named Ernest and Marie Armatage serving in our ward in Arizona. They were the best people and spent a lot of time at our house. Marie had been sick for a few days and said she sure wished she had her rocking chair from home to help rock away her aches. I took her down a rocker and she was so tickled she nearly rocked herself silly. After her illness she and her sweetheart brought our family a big batch of the Turtle cookies. I know there is a newer method today but I still love these the way Marie taught me.

Marie's Turtle Cookies
2 squares of baking chocolate OR 4 T. cocoa (use a good brand, it makes a difference)
1/2 c. oleo or butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
1 c. flour
1 t. vanilla

Melt baking chocolate or 4 T. cocoa with oleo/butter.
Beat eggs & sugar together
Add to chocolate mixture
Fold in flour & vanilla
Drop by teaspoonful onto waffle iron. (1 t. to one waffle iron square)
Bake till done but not hard

ICING:
2 c.sugar
1/2 c. cocoa
2/3 c. milk
1 stick (1/2 c.)oleo or butter
1 t. vanilla

Mix sugar & cocoa in pan
Add milk, stir good
Bring to boil
Reduce heat to medium & boil 4 mins. (WATCH IT)
Remove from heat & add oleo
Cool 15 mins.
Add vanilla, beat till creamy.

Ice the cooled 'turtles'
Pecans can be added for the turtles flippers.

Can anyone tell me what the name of the couple was where the Armatage's lived? It was a small apartment behind the big house on Superstition.

Enjoy the memory and the recipe!

3 comments:

Cheyenne said...

Was it a manufactured home on the right as you are heading towards the mountain...the house the people lived in?
Loved the turtle cookies...we always made big batches right? I guess with 6 kids you always made big batches!

NanC said...

Yes, you're right about the home. You bet the batches were big, Chad could eat a batch alone, it was one of his favorite cookies. The sister that owned the home was from Idaho and was in that big flood when the dam broke. I think they had a child who was a bit mentally challenged. I think her name was Mary, can't remember her husband's name but I can see his face in my mind.

Jan said...

Was it Jan Steinbreck? I just remember the horsed out in front of the house, and the trailor under a large roof.

The turtle cookies were excellent-I've made these many times, in the past 16 years.