Cookies

Aunt Grace's Anise Cookies
Mom makes these every Christmas and uses her beautifully decorated German cookie presses to stamp designs on the cookies. They harden quickly so it is a good idea to store them in an airtight container with an apple inside.

1) Set aside: 1 ½ c. sifted flour and ¼ tsp. baking powder.
2) Break 2 eggs into a large measuring cup, then add water to make ½ cup.
3) Beat 1 c. sugar and the egg liquid until golden yellow and fluffy.
4) Add ¼ tsp. anise extract and beat a long time until no sugar crystals are left.
5) Sift the flour mixture ¼ c. at a time into the egg mix and beat well after each addition.
6) Drop by teaspoons onto a generously greased cookie sheet, about 2 inches apart.
7) Bake them one cookie sheet at a time at 350° for 5-6 min. on a high rack of the oven.

^ back to top

Mom's Orange Nut Biscotti, version dated 12/1996

½ c. butter
1 1/3 c. sugar
3 c. flour
1 Tbsp. orange extract
orange zest (grated orange rind)
3 eggs
2 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
2 c. almonds or hazelnuts

1. Cream butter, add sugar, extract and orange zest.
2. Mix 2 c. flour with the dry ingredients and add to egg mixture.
3. Flour a board generously and knead in ~1 c. flour, then add the nuts.
4. Divide in 3 parts and make long loaves about 1" high.
5. Bake for 30 min. in a 350 degree oven until "gloriously golden."
6. Cool 15 min. and slice on the diagonal into ½" slices.
7. Lay out on cookie sheets and bake again for 7 min.
8. Turn them over and bake for 5 min.

^back to top

Mom's Butter Cookies
The jam filling version of this recipe has become Lisa's favorite Christmas cookie. Well, along with meringues, maybe.

1 lb butter
1 c. sugar
4 egg yolks, slightly beaten
6 c. flour
½ lemon rind, grated, or 2 Tbsp. Cointreau liqueur
1 tsp. baking powder
1 c. almonds, finely chopped (optional)

1) Mix the wet, then add the dry ingredients, mixing well, chill.
2) Roll out and cut with cookie cutters or roll into balls and make thumbprint cookies. The thumbprint cookies are great with a pecan pressed into the center or with the center filled with plum or raspberry jelly.

Bake at 350° for 15 in. or until almost medium brown.

^ back to top

Cinnamon Nut Diamonds
Sue writes: "If not watched carefully, Grandma Pereira would eat all of these from the Christmas cookie plate. They are undoubtedly the most popular Christmas cookie the Waite family makes." Sue learned this recipe from her friend Carrie Hanahan.

Sift and reserve:
2 c. sifted all-purpose flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon

Blend in a large bowl 'til light and fluffy:
½ lb. softened butter (2 sticks or 1 c.)
1 c. light brown sugar (muscovado sugar, if you can find it)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. ground walnuts or pecans
1 egg yolk

1) Add the butter to the flour mixture and mix well.
2) Spread onto greased 15x10x1" pan.
3) Brush with 1 egg, slightly beaten (just egg white is OK too).
4) Sprinkle with nuts and push into the dough.
5) Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes (30-35 min. at sea level) until deep brown.
6) Cut into 2" diamonds, cool.

NOTE: A pizza wheel makes a handy cutter. These cookies are very brittle, but they hold together better the longer you bake them.

^ back to top

Meringues
In the days of the Tucson Museum of Art's Christmas "Treasures and Trifles" sale, Mom would make these by the hundreds to bring to the bake sale area, and they always went fast. Keep them in an airtight container in humid climates.

Beat 4 egg whites with:
1 tsp. Cream of Tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
until stiff, then add:

1 c. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
and beat until glossy.

Spoon onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake at 225° for 2 hours. When through baking, leave the oven door open for 10 min. Makes approx. 75 cookies.

^ back to top

Meemah's Molasses Crinkles
These are spicy and quite toothsome!

¾ c. shortening
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
¼ c. molasses
1 tsp. dried ginger
1 tsp. salt
2 ¼ c. sifted flour
1 ½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. cinnamon

1) Mix shortening, brown sugar and egg until creamy.
2) Mix in the molasses.
3) Sift the dry ingredients into the mixture and mix until blended.
4) Refrigerate one hour.
5) Shape into walnut size balls, dip one side into sugar and place 3" apart on a greased cookie sheet. Bake 12-15 min. at 375°.
Note: if pressing them flat with the bottom of a glass, only bake for 8-10 min.

^ back to top

Perfect Lemon Bars
Another fabulous recipe from Cook's Illustrated Magazine.These really are perfect!

The lemon filling must be added to a warm crust. The 30-minute chilling and 20-minute baking of the crust should allow plenty of time to prepare the filling. If not, make the filling first and stir to blend just before pouring it into the crust. Any leftover bars can be sealed in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to two days. Makes about 2 dozen 1½- to 2-inch squares.

The Crust
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2/3 cup confectioners' sugar, plus extra to decorate finished bars
¼ cup cornstarch
¾ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 ½ sticks), at very cool room temperature,
cut into 1-inch pieces, plus extra for greasing pan

Lemon Filling
4 large eggs, beaten lightly
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons finely grated zest from two large lemons
2/3 cup juice from 3 to 4 large lemons, strained
1/3 cup whole milk
1/8 teaspoon salt

For the crust: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350°. Lightly butter [or spray with cooking spray] a 13-by-9-inch baking dish and line with one sheet parchment or wax paper. Dot paper with butter [or spray with cooking spray], then lay second sheet crosswise over it.

Pulse flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in food processor workbowl fitted with steel blade. Add butter and process to blend, 8 to 10 seconds, then pulse until mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse meal, about three 1-second bursts. (To do this by hand, mix flour, confectioners' sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl. Freeze butter and grate it on large holes of box grater into flour mixture. Toss butter pieces to coat. Rub pieces between your fingers for a minute, until flour turns pale yellow and coarse.) Sprinkle mixture into lined pan and, press firmly with fingers into even, ¼-inch layer over entire pan bottom and about ½ inch up sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes, then bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

For the filling: Meanwhile, whisk eggs, sugar, and flour in medium bowl, then
stir in lemon juice and zest, milk, and salt to blend well.

To finish the bars: Reduce oven temperature to 325°. Stir filling mixture to reblend; pour into warm crust. Bake until filling feels firm when touched lightly, about 20 minutes. Transfer pan to wire rack; cool to near room temperature, at least 30 minutes. Transfer to cutting board by pulling up the wax paper lining, fold wax paper down, and cut into serving-size bars, wiping knife or pizza cutter clean between cuts, as necessary. Sieve confectioners' sugar over bars, if desired.

^ Back to top

Selma's Best Oatmeal Cookies
This recipe is from the hilarious I Hate to Cook Cookbook. Mom's paperback copy is yellowed and well-used. It is still fun to read, and makes a great antidote to Martha Stewart-like perfectionism.

Cream together:
1 c. margarine
1 c. sugar
½ c. brown sugar
1 beaten egg

Sift & add:
1 ½ c. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon

Then add:
1 ½ c. quick rolled oats
¾ c. nuts
1 tsp. vanilla

1. Roll into walnut-sized balls and flatten with a greased glass dipped in sugar.

2. Bake at 350° until lightly browned.

^ Back to top

Mom's Pfeffernüsse
These are smaller and crunchier than most pfeffernüsse. Mom made these every Christmas -- they are very crisp little pillows of spiciness. But beware -- this recipe makes so much dough, Allan would get tired of rolling it all out!

½ c. molasses
½ c. dark Karo syrup
½ c. shortening or margarine (1 stick)
4 c. flour
½ tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground cardamom
1 c. sugar
1 jumbo egg or 2 med. eggs

1) Combine molasses, syrup & shortening in sauce pan and bring to a boil over med. heat.
2) Remove from heat & pour over the flour and baking powder.
3) Add soda & spices and allow to cool to lukewarm. Add the sugar, eggs & beat.
4) Knead the dough until as smooth as possible.
5) Roll out no thinner than ¼" and cut into ¾"-wide bars. Place the bars on wax paper (layer as necessary) and freeze.
6) Remove from freezer and cut the bars diagonally into diamond shapes (½" to ¾" across) and bake at 375°. Watch them closely because they can burn very quickly.

^ Back to top

Split Seconds (Spitzbuben)
Connie's Godmother Louise Clement got this recipe from Mom and she renamed them Mile-a-minutes because she ate them so fast!

2 c. flour
¾ c. sugar
¼ tsp. salt
¾ c. butter
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Plum jelly

1. Add butter to flour, sugar and salt to make crumbs. Then add the egg and the vanilla.

2. Divide the dough into 3 parts. Roll into 3 long cigar-shaped rolls (be careful that it doesn't split), then make an indentation with the back of a spoon all down the center of the long rolls.

3. Fill the indentation with jelly or jam beaten smooth.

4. Bake at 350° until the bottoms are a gentle brown. Color is important as the sugar caramelizes!

^ back to top