If you have come from the Virtual Cookie Exchange, our previous stop was Just Because Quilts and the next stop is at the end of this post.

I love family recipes. So I thought I’d share one for this week’s adventure of the Virtual Cookie Exchange over at Justmequilt.
I’m sharing my Aunt Gladys’ Jinjalene Cookies. It is from her or should I say our Italian heritage. I got the recipe from her when I was putting together a Cookie Table for my son’s wedding rehearsal. It is a tradition to have a spread of cookies from all the aunts and grandmothers, etc at the actual wedding, however, that event was already planned to perfection so I added to the part I was in charge of the rehearsal.
Didn’t the table turn out so elegant and fun?

The recipe I am sharing is what I call a great coffee cookie. It isn’t sweet and pairs beautifully with a cup of coffee or a nice English Tea. It also is great cookie to bring to a Cookie Swap because it something a bit different. This is something that I remember from the Christmas cookies platter of Christmas’ of old…😉
Aunt Gladys’ Jinjalene Cookies
These pair wonderfully with a cup of coffee
Ingredients
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs (slightly beaten)
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 level teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoons salt
*Jinjalene seeds (aka Sesame seeds)
Directions
- Cream the butter and sugar.
- Add slightly beaten eggs and mix.
- Add vanilla, flour, baking powder and salt; mix thoroughly
- Roll out in a log stick with hands; cut into 3″ pieces.
- Roll in Jinjalene seeds.
- Place onto an un-greased cookie sheet.
- Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Lightly golden brown.
Notes
- My Aunt Gladys likes to put on kitchen gloves when she does the rolling of the logs and rolling in the sesame seeds to prevent sticking to your fingers.
Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy the recipe. I love cookie swaps in person too. You know with actual cookies to exchange. I like them so much I have a created a quick guide to help you plan one of your own as well as a printable recipe card to help you keep track of your favorite cookie recipes. If is a gift from me. Just let me know where to send it.
Now that you have your gift from me, now it is onto the next stop in this virtual cookie exchange. Pop over to Cathie’s Craftworks. [All the stops can be found here.]

Your Aunt Gladys recipe sounds good. I am adding it to my list of cookie recipes to try. Lovely table spread!
Thank you for your kind words….it was fun for me to dig up that photo…such sweet memories pulling that table of sweetness together!
What a fun cookie! I love seeing all the new cookies and learning their stories along with them. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Julia – I too like the stories behind the recipes!
Your cookie table looks fabulous! I bet it was appreciated! Thanks for sharing your recipe–it does look like a good cookie with tea or coffee.
Hi Carol – thank you…and that cookie table was appreciated lol…even the staff at the event hall was able to take some cookie goodness home with them!
Those cookies look delicious, especially with sesame seeds – yum! Thank you for sharing your Aunt Gladys’ recipe and the wedding table photo. I love that personal touch with the names of the bakers – it’s a beautiful table that my caterer heart loves. 🙂
Thank you Linda! I do like making a table of food to look pretty!!
It’s so fun to read about different traditions and I love this cookie one for weddings. Such a great idea and so yummy looking! I’ve only been to a couple real life cookie exchanges and had so much fun. Maybe someday I’ll have to host one myself. Your cookie recipe looks like a great one to eat with my tea in the morning. I’ll be adding that to my baking list! Thanks for sharing and hopping with us, Sheryl!
Carol – you are so sweet. Cookie swaps are fun! I’m even enjoying this virtual one.
Your table looks so lovely and inviting! Thanks for sharing the cookie recipe – it’s new to me!
Wendy – Thank you for your sweet comment. I’m starting to feel like I need another cookie table occasion.
The cookies look really tasty and the cookie table looks fabulous.
Lyndsey – thank you for the kind words. That cookie table was fun to pull together.
The cookies look delicious, thanks so much for sharing!
Karrin – Thank you so much
Very interesting recipe, the sesame seeds through me. The cookie table does look yummy.
Denise I totally understand what you mean about the sesame seeds. It is almost like a little nutty crunch that is quite nice with this not too sweet coffee cookie.
Thanks for sharing the recipe with us. Gosh that cookie table looks delicious!
Anorina – Thanks.. That cookie table was enjoyed by many!
The cookie table looks wonderful! And your recipe is certainly a bit different with the sesame seeds, definitely something to try! Thank you for sharing.
Thanks Beatrice. I reached out to my daughter-in-law today to let her know I shared the wedding rehearsal table on my blog today. #memories
They look so good. definitely made to go with tea or hot chocolate, yum
Selina – I didn’t even think hot chocolate but I bet would be wonderful too. Thanks
I know those cookies as Sesame cookies. I live in an area where there are many families of Italian heritage and I have enjoyed these cookies with them. Thanks for the recipe. That cookie table lookes extremely tempting. What a wonderful idea.
Hey Cathie – thanks. I’m sure my grandmother called them Jinjalene. I remember them on the trays of cookies we used to always have at Christmas. As I kid I didn’t care for them as much as I do now that I’m older.
Your cookies look delicious. I have made something similar but never heard sesame seeds called Jinjalene. Thank you and Aunt Gladys for sharing your recipe in the hop … 🙂 Pat
Pat recently posted…Virtual Christmas Cookie Exchange 2021 Blog Hop ~ Happening Now!
Hi Pat – it is how my Aunt typed it out for me with a note that they are found mostly as Sesame Seeds. They sound more fun that way don’t they? Jinjalene vs. sesame seed cookies lol
Your cookies look so yummy. What a great table of cookies, thank you for sharing your story. It’s fun to see traditions.
Carla I totally agree that is fun to see traditions. Thanks for the ♥️
I am in love with that cookie table tradition. It’s absolutely a beautiful spread! Your Janjalene cookies look delicious! Thanks for sharing the recipe with us!
Joan – I would love to do a bigger spread of cookie for our daughter’s wedding someday! Thanks
Oh your aunt’s cookie recipe looks so yummy. I was thinking about a recipe that I make that I saw once upon a time instead of using nuts used sesame seeds. What an awesome tradition for a cookie table and every one contributes.
Colette – Thanks. I have heard stories about the cookie tables at the Italian weddings — abbondanza!
Mmmm yum! They look so good! Thanks for sharing! xx
Joy – thank you so much!
Sheryl this recipe sounds so good!! Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Brenda!
What a wonderful tradition! I also love to bake, using recipes that have been handed down from the family. I hope that you have a very Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas too, Sharon
They look so very tasty. Thank you for the recipe as well.