Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking

Chapter 8

Cookies

A farmer sits on a tree stump and gestures to the empty place beside him.

ANISE COOKIES

6 eggs, separated
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup flour, sifted
3 tsps. anise seed

Beat egg yolks until thick and foamy. Beat egg whites stiff and combine with egg yolks. Gradually add the powdered sugar and mix lightly. Sift flour and add to the egg mixture together with the anise seed. Drop from teaspoon on greased cookie sheet, spacing about 1 inch apart. Chill in refrigerator over night. Bake in slow oven (300-f) for about 12 minutes.

FRUIT AND NUT COOKIES

1 cup shortening
1½ cups sugar
3 eggs
3½ cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. soda
1½ tblsp. hot water
½ cup raisins, chopped
½ cup currants, chopped
1 cup nuts, chopped

Cream shortening and sugar, add the eggs and beat until light and fluffy. Sift flour add salt and cinnamon and sift again. Dissolve the soda in the hot water and add to the creamed mixture. Add half of the sifted dry ingredients mixing well. Fold in the chopped fruit and nuts and the remaining flour mixture. Stir until thoroughly blended. Drop teaspoonfuls on greased cookie sheets, about 2 inches apart and bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 15 minutes.

CINNAMON WAFFLES (Zimmet waffles)

½ lb. butter
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
3 eggs
flour

Cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs 1 at a time and add cinnamon. Work in enough flour to make a soft dough. Form into small balls. Place several in a hot waffle iron, suitably spaced, press down top and bake. This is an old recipe which the “dutch” brought over from Germany.

MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS COOKIES

½ cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg
4 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon soda

Blend shortening, sugar and molasses. Add beaten egg. Sift dry ingredients and combine. Mix well, roll out and cut in fancy shapes. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. When cool decorate with boiled icing.

DUTCH ALMOND COOKIES

1 cup shortening
½ cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
½ teaspoon vanilla
3 cups flour
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
¼ teaspoon soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup ground blanched almonds

Cream shortening with white and brown sugar. Add 2 eggs and work in the sifted dry ingredients. Then add the chopped blanched almonds. Shape dough into long rolls. Roll in wax paper and store in cold place for 12 hours. Slice thin and bake in hot oven.

SAND TARTS

2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
4 eggs
flour

Work butter and part of the sugar together, then the remainder of the sugar and the eggs should be mixed in. Use flour enough to make very stiff. Roll thin, cut out in small squares, wet top with two eggs beaten, sprinkle with sugar, cinnamon and chopped almonds. Bake in moderate oven, 10 minutes.

WALNUT KISSES

1 lb. sugar
6 egg whites
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups walnuts chopped

Beat egg whites until stiff and dry. Mix flour and sugar and fold in stiffly beaten egg whites. Add walnuts and bake in moderate oven, 375 degrees.

WALNUT ROCKS

1 cup butter
1½ cups brown sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. soda
1½ tblsp. hot water
3 cups flour
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. cloves
1½ cups chopped raisins
1 cup chopped walnuts

Cream butter and sugar and add the beaten eggs. Dissolve soda in the hot water and add to the creamed mixture. Sift flour, salt and spices twice and add half of it to mixture and mix thoroughly. Combine chopped raisins and nuts with the other half and add to the dough. Mix thoroughly and drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased baking sheets spaced a couple of inches apart. Bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 12 to 15 minutes.

LEBKUCHEN

1½ cups flour
1 tblsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. cloves, ground
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup dark brown sugar
⅛ lb. citron, chopped fine
⅛ lb. almonds, chopped

Sift the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cream of tartar. Mix the sugar and beaten eggs thoroughly. Combine with the flour mixture, add citron and the almonds. Roll out on floured board, ¼ inch thick. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake in moderate oven (350-f) for 15 minutes. Cut into squares or diamonds while still warm. Ice thinly with plain white or lemon frosting. This is an old recipe for an oldtime Christmas favorite.

CHRISTMAS BUTTER COOKIES

1 cup soft butter
½ cup brown sugar, packed
2¼ cups flour, sifted

Cream butter until it resembles whipped cream and slowly add the sugar, beating well. Add flour gradually and blend thoroughly. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for several hours. Knead dough slightly on floured board, form into a smooth ball. Roll to about ⅛ inch thick and cut to desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake in moderate oven (350-f) about 12 minutes. When cold decorate with butter icing, candied fruit, etc.

ALMOND MACAROONS

1 cup almond paste
¾ cup sugar
3 egg whites
salt

Rub paste until smooth, gradually work in the sugar until well mixed. Add a pinch of salt and beat in one egg white at a time, mixing thoroughly. Let stand for 20 minutes. Drop teaspoonfuls on lightly buttered baking sheet. Bake in slow oven (300-f) for 25 or 30 minutes until surface is dry. Keep in cool place overnight.

SUGAR CAKES

3 cups sugar
¾ cup butter
2 eggs
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 cup thick milk

Mix eggs and butter well. Then add milk and soda. Mix in enough flour to make a soft dough, just so you can roll it. Cut into any shapes you wish. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, bake in a moderately heated oven.

HICKORY NUT KISSES

2 cups sugar
2 cups hickory nuts, chopped fine
6 egg whites
3 tablespoons flour

Beat egg whites lightly, add sugar, then nut kernels, lastly the flour. Drop on greased tins and bake in moderate oven. 350 degrees.

“BELSNICKEL” CHRISTMAS CAKES

1 cup sugar
½ cup melted butter
2 eggs
1½ cups flour
½ tsp. baking soda
pinch of salt

Pour melted butter over sugar in a bowl and beat until smooth and creamy. Add the eggs, beating one at a time, into the mixture. Sift the baking soda thru the flour add the salt and add to the cake mixture. Stand the dough in a cold place for an hour. Roll out on floured board, quite thin. Cut into small rounds or other shapes. Sprinkle with sugar and bake in hot oven (400-f) for 10 minutes.

GINGER COOKIES—GINGERBREAD MEN

⅔ cup shortening
½ cup brown sugar
2 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves or allspice
1½ tsp. salt
1 egg
¾ cup molasses
3 cups flour, sifted
1 tsp. soda
½ tsp. baking powder

Cream together shortening, brown sugar, spices and salt. Add the egg, mix thoroughly. Add molasses and blend. Sift together twice the flour, soda, baking powder and add to the molasses mixture. Stir well and chill. Roll out a fourth of the dough at a time, on floured board to a little more than ⅛ inch thick. Cut with gingerbread man cutters or other shapes. Bake on greased cookie sheets in moderately hot (375-f) oven, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool before decorating.

PFEFFERNUSSE

3 eggs
½ lb. powdered sugar
2 cups flour
½ tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. soda
¼ tsp. salt
1 lemon, juice and rind

Beat eggs well, gradually add powdered sugar, lemon juice and grated rind. Sift flour and add salt, soda and spices. Sift again and add to egg and sugar mixture. Beat to form smooth, medium-soft dough. Chill in refrigerator for several hours. Roll out on floured board, into long finger-shaped sticks. Cut into small marble sized pieces and bake on greased baking sheets in hot oven (425-f) until they turn a light, golden brown.

MORAVIAN DARK COOKIES

½ lb. butter
1 cup sugar
1 tblsp. cream
2 cups dark molasses
1 tblsp. cinnamon
½ tblsp. ginger
½ tsp. cloves, ground
8 cups flour

Cream the butter and sugar together until smooth. Add the cream, molasses, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and blend smooth. Work in the flour gradually. Roll out as thin as possible on floured board. Cut into various shapes with cookie cutters. Bake on greased cookie sheets in moderate oven (350-f) for about 12 minutes. Decorate using a pastry tube and icing made from egg-white and confectioners sugar.

Book Navigation Title Page Table of Contents Introduction ► Soups ► Meat and Main Dishes ► Vegetable Dishes ► Salads ► Pancakes and Fritters ► Sweets and Rolls ► Doughnuts ► Cookies ► Cakes ► Pies ► Desserts ► Sweets and Sours

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