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Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cookies. Show all posts

Sunday, December 18, 2011

Norwegian Christmas Cookies

We just love our exchange student daughter from Norway!   Last night she and the other Scandavian girls in our town shared their Christmas traditions with their host families at a Christmas party.  I made these "thumb print" cookies.  She'd never seen or heard of them before, but I know they make thumbprint cookies in Finland.  They were tasty, but who can go wrong with butter and sugar?

Norwegian Butter Cookies
1 cup butter
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 cups cake flour
1/2 tsp. salt
Any flavor jam or jelly (raspberry is my favorite, pictured here with strawberry jam)

Norwegian Christmas Cookies with Red Jam in Thumbprint IMG_1444
Cream butter and sugar well.  Add sifted flour and salt.  Mix until dough forms a ball.  Chill overnight.  Shape into 1/2 inch balls.  Press an indentation into each cookie ball with your thumb.  Bake at 350 degrees for ten minutes.  Take out of the oven, let cool.  Fill each indentation with jam or jelly.

By the time they finished baking they'd spread and my son asked, "Did a giant make these thumbprints?"

I also made Finnish gingerbread cookies and Finnish Christmas tarts to share.  She and another Norwegian girl made cookies with potato starch flour.

Norwegian Christmas Cookies
1 1/2 cups potato starch flour
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla sugar (I get mine at IKEA.  I imagine you can just use vanilla.)

My husband and I looked at each other and said, "There can't be that much potato starch flour in the recipe, but there is and they are delicious!  They crumble in your mouth and leave it feeling a bit sandy.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

I came home to my husband and kids having made these yummy cookies today.  Here's the recipe and a photo.  Enjoy!

Outrageous Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
  • 1/2 cup peanut butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
  2. In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.
  3. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Cowboy Cookies

Our daughter stayed up last night to make these for class.  I decided to make a batch for a group of boys who were coming over after school today. I haven't made these in forever. Now I'll have this recipe handy online as well. My sister-in-law's sister gave me this recipe a few years ago.

Cowboy Cookies
1 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1 c white sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash salt
2 c flour
2 c oatmeal
2 c chocolate chips
nuts if desired

Cream together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add vanilla, baking soda, and baking powder and salt. Stir in flour, oatmeal, chocolate chips and nuts.

Drop by spoonful onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake at 375 degrees for 12 minutes.

Wednesday, February 3, 2010

Quick Sugar Cookies

Over at our house tonight we have the 12 and 13 year old Young Women over making Valentine sugar cookies.  They have decided to give them to the family of our ward member who died in an avalanche.

Peggy's "quick" sugar cookie recipe

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
cream together
2 tsp baking powder
3 c flour -- add 1 cup at a time
400 10-12 minutes

Derek's Frosting

A ton of powdered sugar (like a cup and a half)

A capful of vanilla
While stirring, add 2 tablespoons or caps full of milk at a time until consistency
Add 2 drops of food coloring to get a light color.

Monday, December 21, 2009

Cardamom is the secret in these gingerbread cookies

Title: Piparkakut (Finnish Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

Description:
My Mother says, "The aroma of these cookies baking takes me back to my childhood in Finland." We make various large to small sizes of these in heart shape and hang them in the kitchen window during Christmas. Heart is the symbol of Christmas in Finland. We also had plenty of other shapes to eat as well.

Ingredients:
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
2 T dark Karo syrup
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ground cardamom
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 c flour

Directions:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg, spices and syrup. Then add flour and soda sifted together. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out on floured surface very thin and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake on a very lightly greased cookie sheet about 5 min at 375 degrees. Do not overbake! Store in an airtight tin and they will keep "forever".

Monday, September 28, 2009

Unique Cake Mix Cookies

Tonight for Family Home Evening I made another cookie recipe from a cake mix.  This recipes is also credited to Stephanie Ashcraft from 101 "Things to Do with a Cake Mix"!  I promise not to make all 101 recipes and they aren't all cookies.  They are bars and mostly cakes. 


Unique Cake Mix Cookies

2 eggs
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup margarine
1/2 cup flour
1 cake mix, any flavor (I used fun flavor ORANGE today!) 
Blend eggs, honey, margarine, flour and 1/2 cake mix.  Beat until fluffly, mix in rest of cake mix.  Roll into small balls and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes at 350 degrees.  Makes 2 dozen.

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Cake Mix Cookie

I needed a fast dessert and remembered Stephanie Ashcraft's cookbook my Mother gave me entitled "101 Things to do with a Cake Mix" and pulled it out and pulled off a quick cookie in under 30 minutes!  Give it a try!

Cake Mix Cookies
1 cake mix, any flavor (I used chocolate today)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup chocolate chips
3/4 oil
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Mix together cake mix, brown sugar, oil and eggs.  Stir in chocolate chips after dough has formed.  Cook on ungreased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.

Monday, June 22, 2009

Non peanut butter no-bake cookies

From dianaskitchen.com we found this non peanut butter No-Bake Cookies recipe.

These favorite no-bake cookies are made with cocoa, coconut, and oats
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1/2 cup milk
* 2 cups sugar
* 3 cups quick-cooking oats
* 5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
* 1/2 cup coconut

In a large saucepan, combine butter, milk and sugar; bring to a rolling boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Continue boiling for 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in oats, cocoa, and coconut. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper.
Makes about 36 yummy no-bake cookies.

OR

with peanut butter and no coconut try
No Bake Cookies

2 c sugar
1/2 c milk
1 cube butter
1/4 c cocoa
1/2 c peanut butter
3 c. oatmeal
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar, 1/4 c. of the milk, butter and cocoa and bring to boil. Boil for 1.5 minutes. While hot add peanut butter, oatmeal and vanilla. Add up to the rest of the milk as needed. Drop on waxed paper or lightly buttered an until cool.






Thursday, May 7, 2009

Rosettes




My Mother has requested Rosettes for her birthday since it's so close to May Day.  In Finland, rosettes may be served at May Day (Vappu) celebrations as an alternative to funnel cakes (tippaleipä).  They are traditionally made during Christmas time in Scandanavia.  Rosettes are a thin, cookie-like deep-fried pastry of Scandinavian origin. Rosettes are made using intricately designed irons. The iron is heated to a very high temperature in oil, dipped into the batter, then re-immersed in the hot oil to create a crisp shell around the metal. The iron is immediately removed and the rosette is separated from the iron. Usually, the edges of the rosette are dipped into frosting or sugar. Rosette recipes are popular in the United States among families with Scandinavian ancestry. 

Her Finnish friend sent me this recipe which I am translating from Finnish to English and converting from metrics too. 

ROSETIT 30 kpl (makes 30)


2 eggs 2 munaa
2 tsp. sugar 2 tl sokeria
1/2 tsp. salt 0,5 tl suolaa
0.63 cups milk 1,5 dl maitoa
0.63 cups flour 1,5 dl vehnajauhoja

Beat the eggs, salt and sugar;  add milk and flour. Batter will look thin.  Heat 1 quart oil to 350 degrees in a 2 quart pan.   Put the rosette iron in to heat up.  Quickly dot the iron onto a paper towel to remove excess oil.  Now dip the rosette iron into the dough careful not to get it on the top of the iron then turn it upside down for a second.  Next immerse the iron into the hot oil and fry until a light golden brown.  I count to about 55-60 with each one.  Remove from oil and gently remove from iron.  Lightly sprinkle with powdered sugar.  These are not very sweet.  Another day I'll make a batch where I add some vanilla sugar and another where I add cardamom to taste test the difference. 

As I made fried these, my husband exclaimed that he remembers Rosettes.  His DODDs principal's Icelandic wife served them to his family at Christmastime when they lived in Iceland!
 

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

I prefer black strap molasses

Today, on the 12th day of Christmas, I made Finnish Gingerbread cookies at my Mother's. We'd been too busy earlier in the season. I was out of dark karo syrup and had heard one could use molasses instead. I used black strap molasses and it gave them the dark color they need. The smells were incredible and although it's time to have the oldest man in the village come to our home and sweep out the straw (it's what they decorate with in Finland), it felt we should keep Christmas up awhile longer. A friend on facebook asked for the recipe today, so here it is again.

Title: Piparkakut (Finnish Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

Ingredients:
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
2 T dark Karo syrup (or black strap molasses)
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ground cardamom
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 c flour

Directions:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg, spices and syrup. Then add flour and soda sifted together. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out on floured surface very thin and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake on a very lightly greased cookie sheet about 5 min at 375 degrees. Do not overbake! Store in an airtight tin and they will keep "forever".

Monday, October 27, 2008

Sugar Cookies

Well, it's time to make some sugar cookies. I'm going to try a new recipe from my cousin. You'll find it below. Then you'll find the recipe I usually make below that. It was our FHE.


Title: Wil's Soft Sugar Cookie recipe

Description:
Cousin Gayla says, "This is our family recipe for cut-out cookies. We all (daughters-in-law, too) like it better than anything else we've tried."

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 cubes real butter
4 c. flour
2 t. baking powder
1/4-1 t. nutmeg (your family's preference)
1/2 t. salt
2 eggs
1 T. vanilla
cream

Directions:
Beat sugar and butter together till fluffy. Add flour, nutmeg, salt, and baking powder. (It will seem like pie dough before you add the water).
In 1 c. measure, beat the two eggs. Add the vanilla, then enough cream to make one cup. Beat into flour and butter mixture.
Roll out and bake at 375 for 8 minutes. Cool and frost.
(Or freeze and frost later)

Number Of Servings:3-4 dozen

Preparation Time:


Read what others had to say:

Cousin Laurel says, "I do Valentine sugar cookies with the grandkids the Sunday before Valentine's Day. This year I decided to use this recipe instead of the one from the Lion House cookbook that I have been using for the past 25 years or so. We loved it! The dough was very easy to work with and the cookies were tasty and had a good texture.

I doubled the recipe, which was just right for my Bosch. I used the dough hook and poured in the cream mixture in a slow stream into the other mixed ingredients while the mixer was on. So much better than adding flour to the liquid ingredients like I usually do. Thank your for sharing the recipe, Gayla. I will always think of you and your mom when I use this recipe."


Title: Utah State University Sugar Cookies by Valene Tueller

Description:
Bro. Tueller was the USU Basketball coach when I attended "State". My Family Home Evening group attended Family Home Evening in their home one Valentine's Day. We made these sugar cookies and they are the BEST I have ever tasted. Many others agree and have requested this recipe, so I'm posting it here. I'm also posting it here, so I'll always have it. I was just putting it away from using it for Christmas goodies and our daughter's class.

Ingredients:
4 c flour
1 t baking powder
1/2 t soda
1/2 t salt
1/2 t nutmeg
Mix together in large bowl and set aside.
1 c butter
1 1/2 c sugar
1 egg
1/2 c sour cream
1 t vanilla
Frosting:
1 package powdered sugar
4 ounces cream cheese
1 t vanilla
milk
red food coloring

Directions:
Beat butter, sugar and egg until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream. Add to dry mix. Add vanilla. Bake at 375 degrees for 12-14 minutes. They are best barely golden.
Frosting: Use softened cream cheese and stir it until smooth. Add the powdered sugar and then add just enough milk for a thick consistency. Then stir in the vanilla and a few drops of red coloring.

Number Of Servings:This makes about 6 giant cookies -- 2 per cookie sheet.

Monday, September 29, 2008

Autumn Pumpkin Pancakes and Cookies

It feels like autumn, so this morning we started off with Pumpkin pancakes.  I happened upon this sisters recipe blog and found the recipe. Our kids really liked them and want them on Halloween morning too.  I served them with applesauce and cinnamon sugar sprinkled on top.  

Since I had to open a can of pumpkin and didn't use it all, my son is making Pumpkin cookies for FHE.  My son and his friend are baking them.  I found it on one of those sister's linked blog of recipes with other friends.  

It's so handy to have the internet to look up recipe ideas from. 

The cookies called for pumpkin spice, which I didn't have, so I googled for a substitute and found this 
Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitute
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon plus 1/4 teaspoon ginger and 1/8 teaspoon EACH nutmeg and cloves can be substituted for 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice.

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Gold Medal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Since we love to try different cookie recipes, and since this was on the back of the Gold Medal flour bag I just opened, I decided to try their

Extraordinary Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 1/2 cups butter or margarine, softened
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 cups packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon almond extract (I added this)
4 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag (24 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips (4 cups)
For nut lovers; stir in 2 cups coarsely chopped nuts with the chocolate chips.

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. In large bowl, cream butter, sugars, vanilla and eggs on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in chocolate chips.

On ungreased cookie sheet, drop dough by tablespoonfuls or #40 cookie/ice cream scoop 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly.

Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool 1 to 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

Makes about 6 dozen cookies

Yummy!

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Borrowed Butter Makes Better Chocolate Chip Cookies

Our neighbors borrowed butter from us last Sunday and later we found out why. They wanted to make chocolate chip cookies. When we got the call it was for margarine. The funny thing is I asked the Mother the next day if the butter worked out okay in their recipe.  She said they only buy and only use butter, but her health conscious daughter wondered if they were perhaps the only family who prefers butter, when the first neighbor they asked only had margarine.  She decided she'd ask us for margarine, which they would have used, if they didn't find butter.  My husband told their daughter we only had butter:) Butter does make better chocolate chip cookies!

They were soooo delicious. When I called today for the recipe, she said, "We have all the ingredients if you need to borrow any!" Maybe I should borrow some butter:) It turns out this is the Dad's recipe he's tweaked over the years. He said he always triples this recipe. I'm glad he did, because it means we got to taste them too. And now you can too, since he's given me permission to post them here. Now go borrow some butter or whatever you don't have enough of. Looks like I need more chocolate chips this time :) Enjoy!

Geoff's Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mix the wet ingredients together first.
1 cup butter
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 c granulated sugar
The secret comes in creaming the butter and sugar a very long time in your mixer, so let it blend for 5-7 minutes until it's almost frothy. A former neighbor, who is also a great chocolate chip and other cookie maker says, his secret is to cream cold butter with the sugar.
Now add 2 eggs and
1 t vanilla.
Blend again for almost just as long, until it looks more like a nougat texture.
Mix the dry ingredients together.
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 c flour
Mix flour mixture in with butter mixture with your hands. Feel the texture to determine if you need to add more flour. If you add more flour, add a pinch more baking soda too. You do NOT want it to be too creamy. If you wish, you can add oatmeal flour. When you blend oatmeal in the blender it makes oat flour. If you add that instead of extra flour, it makes it so the dough just barely stays together. This is a good alternate taste too.
Lastly add a 12 oz. package of chocolate chips.
His favorite chips are Ghiradelli, but any chips will do of course. He also likes to use more chips than is normally called for. He also alternates milk and semi-sweet in the same batch. I prefer this flavor of half and half as well.
If you want double chocolate chip cookies, here are a few alternatives:
Grate a big chocolate bar in to the dough. It makes it look brown and give a chocolate taste all the way through the cookie. Or sprinkle in 2 T of cocoa powder into the mix.
Make good sized cookies and bake at 375 degrees for about 8 minutes.

My favorite way to eat my chocolate chip cookies is hot with a mug of cold milk. I use a mug since it's half the height of a glass and I can dip a piping hot chocolate chip cookie straight into the ice cold milk and then eat it. Perfect combination.

Wednesday, December 19, 2007

A good Finnish Hostess offers 7 varieties

We had our Home Teacher and his family over for dessert this week. He is such a great home teacher who always come prepared to teach our children and offer them a new physical challenge, which he ties into teaching the gospel, they love and we appreciate as parents.

We served cookies and hot chocolate. An "Old World" Finnish hostess must serve 7 varieties at her "hot chocolate" table. My Mother always had quite a spread. The 7 varieties we ended up serving include:

1. The traditional American Butter Spritz Cookies
My Mother said she just used the recipe included with her Spritzer, so since I don't know what it is, I googled Spritz, read several and chose this one found at
http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1910,157180-228196,00.html
Yield approximately 4 dozen.

Cream 1 cup butter. Add 1/2 cup sugar and beat until fluffy. Beat in 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon almond extract or vanilla extract. Blend in 2 1/4 cups sifted all purpose flour. Divide dough into thirds.Add a few drops red food coloring to one third. Green coloring to one third.

Leave one third plain. Fill cookie press with each color or combine colors for rainbow effect. Form into desired shapes and decorate. Bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes.

2. Finnish Joulu Torttuja -- you'll find my Mother's recipe posted here under December
2006
3. Six Layer Cookie Bars -- my sister-in-law's version you'll find posted as FHE Baked Bars here November 2007. My husband likes her version better because it's not so gooey!
4. Belgian Speculaas Cookies -- Sunset magazine's recipe is posted December 2006. My husband's family and our guests each have special ties there.
5. Pull aparts -- bread dough rolled in melted butter, then dipped in brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. They are then arranged in a bundt pan and baked at 350 degrees. I also remember these from my childhood, but hadn't had them in years.
6. I ran out of time to make Finnish gingerbread, so so I served Anna's from IKEA.)
I was just sending this recipe to another Mom who is making them for me for our kids' School Christmas party, so here's My Mother's recipe.

Title: Piparkakut (Finnish Christmas Gingerbread Cookies)

Description:
My Mother says, "The aroma of these cookies baking takes me back to my childhood in Finland." We make various large to small sizes of these in heart shape and hang them in the kitchen window during Christmas. Heart is the symbol of Christmas in Finland. We also had plenty of other shapes to eat as well.

Ingredients:
3/4 c margarine or butter
3/4 c sugar
1 egg
2 T dark Karo syrup
1 t cinnamon
1 t cloves
1 t ground cardamom
1/2 t baking soda
2 1/2 c flour


Directions:
Cream margarine and sugar. Add egg, spices and syrup. Then add flour and soda sifted together. Form into a ball and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill the dough overnight in the refrigerator. Roll out on floured surface very thin and cut into desired shapes with a cookie cutter. Bake on a very lightly greased cookie sheet about 5 min at 375 degrees. Do not overbake! Store in an airtight tin and they will keep "forever".

7. And our guests brought Oreo cookies dipped in chocolate and sprinkled with crushed peppermint candy -- her trademark for dressing up any cookie! She says she just melts chocolate chips in the microwave, dips any cookie halfway and either adds sprinkles or drizzles chocolate on it.

Saturday, November 3, 2007

Just click here and bam the cookie recipes appear!

I love quick access to recipes online. That's why I post mine on my blog.

This is good to keep handy with Christmas coming.

So just click on the red title above or click on the individual recipe below and bam the cookie recipes appear!

Special thanks to my blog mentor J.C. for showing me the codes to use to get this to work.


1-2-3 Cookies
7 Layer Cookies
Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies
Almond Crescent Shortbread
Amish Sugar Cookies
Andies Candies Cookies
Angel Crisps
Angenets
Applesauce Cookies
Apricot Fold-Overs
Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles
Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems
Bakeless Dream Cookies
Banana Drop Cookies
Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World
Biscotti
Biscotti
Blueberry Cookies
Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies
Bronwnies
Brown Sugar Shortbread
Brownie Cookies
Brownie Delight
Brownies
Buccaneer Snowballs
Buried Cherry Cookies
Butter Cookies
Butter Nut Balls
Butterballs
Butterscotch Haystacks
C.O.P. Cookies
Candy Cane Cookies
Candy Cookies
Caramel Shortbread
Cheesecake Brownies
Cherry Buns
Cherry Crowns
Cherry Winks
Chewies
Chewy Noels
Chinese Chews/Haystacks
Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Chocolate Chip Meltaways
Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies
Chocolate Christmas Trees
Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares
Chocolate Crinkles
Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies
Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake)
Chocolate Snowball Cookies
Chocolate Streusel Bars
Chocolate Sundae Cookies
Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars
Choco-Scotch Crunchies
Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe
Christmas Crackers
Christmas Crunch Bars
Christmas Ginger Snaps
Christmas Macaroons
Christmas Mice Cookies
Christmas Shaped Cookies
Church Window Cookies
Coconut Cookies
Congo Squares
Cookie in a Jar
Corn Flakes Cookies
Cornflake Christmas Wreaths
Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal)
Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling
Cr me De Menthe Chocolate Squares
Cr me Wafers
Crescent Cookies
Crispy Crunchies
Date Nut Balls
Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies
Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies
Disgustingly Rich Brownies
Doodles
Double chocolate chip cookies
Double-Chocolate Crinkles
Eatmore Cookies
Eggnog Cookies
Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies
Elves Quick Fudge Brownies
Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe
Emily's Best Brownies
Famous Oatmeal Cookies
Firemen Cookies
Fluffy Shortbread Cookies
Forgotten Cookies
Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies
Fruit Cake Cookies
Fruitcake Squares
Fry Pan Cookies
Gems
Ginger Cookies
Ginger Crinkles
Gingerbread Baby
Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing
Gingerbread Men
Gingerbread Men
Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies
Glory's Golden Graham Squares
Glory's Sugar Cookies
Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops
Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies
Grandma J's Butter Cookies
Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies
Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies
Gum Drop Cookies
Gumdrop Gems
Haystack Cookies
Ho-Ho Bars
Holiday Cereal Snaps
Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies
Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars
Holly Cookies
Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls)
Ice Box Cookies
Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies
Italian Cookies
Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs
Jam Bars
Jessica's Famous Brownies
Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Jubilee Jumbles
Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms
Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies
Kentucky Colonels
Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling)
Kifflings
Kiss Cookies
Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers
Lemon Angel Bar Cookies
Lemon Bars
Lemon Cake Cookies
Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies
Lemon Squares
Linzer Tarts
Log Cabin Cookies
Luscious Lemon Squares
M&M Cookies
Magic Cookie Bars
Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies
Melting Shortbread
Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies
Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies
Mincemeat Cookies
Mincemeat Goodies
Molasses Cookies
Molasses Forest Cookies
Molasses Sugar Cookies
Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies
Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies
Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies
Mom's Old Fashion "Puffy" Sugar Cookies
Monster Cookies
Moravian Christmas Cookies
Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies
Nitey Nite Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Cookies
No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No Bake Cookies
No Bake Cookies
No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies
No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
No-Bake Cookies
Norwegian Sugar Cookies
Nut Balls
Oatmeal Bars
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies
Oatmeal Coconut Crisps
Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Scotchies
Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies
Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk
Ooey Gooey Squares
Orange Slice Cookies
Parking Lot Cookies
Peanut Blossoms
Peanut Butter Bars
Peanut Butter Blossoms
Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies
Peanut Butter Chewies
Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut butter fingers
Peanut Butter Reindeer
Peanut Butter Surprises
Peanut Marshmallow Cookies
Pecan Puff Cookies
Peppermint Snowballs
Peppernuts
Persimmon Cookies
Persimmon Cookies
Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins
Pfeffernuesse
Pffefferneuse Cookies
Pineapple Filled Cookies
Pizzelles
Potato Chip Cookies
Potato Flake Cookies
Praline Cookies
Praline Strips
Pterodactyl Nests
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Bars
Pumpkin Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pumpkin Cookies
Queen Biscuits
Quick Cookies
Raised Sugar Cookies
Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars
Raspberry Meringue Bars
Really Peanutty Butter Cookies
Reese`s Brownies
Reese's Peanut Butter Bars
Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies
Rich Lemon Bars
Ricotta Cheese Cookies
Royal Almond Christmas Bars
Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies
Russian Tea Cookies
Russian Teacakes
Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies
Sand Art Brownies
Santa Claus Cookie Pops
Santa Claus Cookies
Santa's Butterscotch Melts
Santa's Shorts
Santa's Special Squares
Scotch Cakes
Scotch Shortbread
Scotcharoos
Scotcheroos
Seven Layer Cookies
Short Bread Cookies
Shortbread
Skor Squares
Snicker Doodle Cookies
Snickerdoodles
Snickerdoodles
Snow Balls
Sour Cream Apple Squares
Sour Cream Christmas Cookies
Special K Cookies
Spice Cookies
Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie
Spritz Cookies
Stained Glass Window Cookies
Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Sugar Cookies
Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies
Swedish Sugar Cookies
Sweet Marie's
Swiss Treats
Taralle (Italian Cookies)
Tea Time Tassies
Texas Brownies
The Best Shortbread in The World
Thumbprint Cookies
Thumbprint Cookies

Toffee Squares
Traditional Christmas Sugar Cookies
Traditional Gingerbread Men Cookies
Triple-Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies
Vanilla Waffer Balls
Walnut Butter Cookies
Walnut Crumb Bars
White Chip Chocolate Cookies
Wild Oatmeal Cookies
Will's Famous Apple Jack Cookies
Yummy Yummy Peanut Butter Blossoms

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Speculaas Cookies from Belgium

Title: Speculaas Cookies from Belgium

Description:
In the Low Countries of northern Europe, St. Nicholas traditionally rewards good children with flat cinnamon-spiced cookies called speculaas. These crisp, sculpted-looking cookies were once commonly made in elaborately carved wooden molds, often handed down from one generation to the next. Today, speculaas are commerically sold year-round in Belgian, Dutch and German bakeries, usually as thin rolled cookies cut in simple shapes. Here is a quickly assembled speculaas dough from Sunset Magazine December 1980.

*Note: They were great! They disappeared very quickly--and some people we shared them with were delighted with the flavor--saying they preferred them over the gingerbread they were accustomed to eating at christmas. The cookies tasted alot like the kind we're used to, although I thought maybe they needed a little more cinnamon, and maybe a dash of nutmeg. Texture-wise they were more dense, and more crispy--yet-chewy than the commercial Lotus brand to which we've become accustomed. (Kind of like commercial chocolate chip cookies vs. homemade) After this year, I don't think I could go back to the commercial kind. This kind held up much better in the way we have come to love them: crumbled up in a bowl with cold milk poured over them and eaten with a spoon!


Ingredients:
1/2 cup (1/4 lb.) butter or margarine
1 1/4 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon (*note: a dash more, and a dash of nutmeg if desired)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:
In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat butter with sugar until creamy. Beat in egg until fluffy. In another bowl, stir together flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Gradually add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, mixing at low speed until well blended. (note: The mixture will seem quite dry and crumbly, hard to keep together--almost like pie dough mix without any liquid added. If you let it set at all uncovered, or if it seems just too dry, add a teaspoon of water or so, if you must.) Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

To cut out with cookie cutters, roll well-chilled dough on a generously floured board to 1/16-inch thickness. Dip standard cutter in flour (or dust interior of molded cutter), then press into dough. With a wide spatula, transfer cookies to a well-greased cookie sheet, placing them about 1/2 inch apart.

Bake in a 350 degree oven until edges begin to turn dark, about 6 to 8 minutes for thin, rolled cookies. Cool cookies on baking sheet 1 minute before removing them with a spatula to a wire rack. Cool completely: store airtight at room temperature up to 2 weeks or freeze.

Number Of Servings:Makes about 4 dozen thin, 3-inch-square cookies.