Holiday’s are always a time for preparing favorite dishes and festive treats. I have several recipes that get dusted off at this time of year, and I spent most of the day with the daughter making cookies and cranberries. The cookies are simply family favorites: the cranberry recipe comes form an out-of-print HP microwave cookbook, but has always been ‘can’t miss’ for jelling into relish at Thanksgiving and Christmas.
I managed to fill the kitchen with smoke making Dutch Speculaas cookies, baking at 375 instead of 350 <sigh>. Part of the problem is that I mistook the Speculaas dough for the Molasses dough, making balls and rolling them in sugar. In the end, I had golf-ball sized round windmill cookies. I dipped them in frosting and turned them into festive little spice buttons…people are talking about making them a tradition now. I think I’m just losing my touch in the kitchen…’glad I got a daughter to help!
Rugelach
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1 cup butter
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2 cups of all-purpose flour
- 1 egg yolk
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
- ¼ cup butter, melted
Cut butter into flour using two knives as if making a pie crust. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolk and sour cream well, then add to flour mixture. Mix until blended. Divide dough into three parts. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.
Prepare filling by combining sugar, cinnamon, and (optional ) walnuts. Pre-heat oven to 375 deg F.
Working with one portion at a time, roll dough into circle 1/8” thick. Brush each circle lightly with melted butter and spread one third of the filling on each. Cut each circle into 16 wedges, like a pizza. Starting from the large end of each wedge, roll up toward point, jelly-roll fashion. Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool on racks and store in covered tins.
Yield: About 4 dozen.
Cranberry Sauce
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1 cup sugar
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½ cup water
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½ cup cranberry liqueur, brandy, or mixture
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2 cups cranberries
In a deep 2-qt casserole dish, combine sugar, water, and liqueur. Microwave, uncovered, at full power for 4 to 5 minutes, until boiling, stirring once or twice to dissolve sugar. Syrup should be clear. Stir in cranberries and cover loosely with waxed paper. Microwave at full power for 5 minutes or until the skins on the cranberries pop, stirring once. Uncover and microwave at 30% for 15 minutes or until thickened to the desired consistency, stirring once. Cover and refrigerate.
Yield: 2 cups
Molasses Cookies
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¾ cup shortening
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1 cup sugar
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¼ cup molasses
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1 egg
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2 tsp baking soda
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2 cups all-purpose flour
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½ tsp cloves
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½ tsp ginger
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1 tsp cinnamon
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½ tsp salt
Melt shortening in a 3-4 quart bowl. Add sugar, molasses, and egg, beat well. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the liquid. Mix well, chill for 1 ½ hour. Roll into 1” balls, and roll each in sugar. Pre-heat over to 375 degrees F. Bake on a greased cookie sheet, 2” apart (do not flatten the dough) for 5-6 minutes.
