Some cookies are really about the memories for me. I remember making
pressed cookies when I was a kid. I loved using the machine to press out
dough in all sorts of magical shapes.
My mother was so kind- she let me make whatever I wanted. One Christmas, we had a whole plateful of camels.
The machine we had required turning a handle- watching carefully, and
turning the handle backwards to stop the flow of the dough. There are
much easier versions of cookie presses today. Mine has a ratchet which
pushes out the right amount of dough with one click. I decided to make
some little green trees and red flowers this year. These cookies are
light and very crisp. Great for having with coffee. They are also fast
to make, once you get used to the cookie press.
The fun thing about using a cookie press is that you can crank out a
high volume of pretty cookies in no time flat. They taste good, too. I
used vanilla extract in the little trees. In the flowers, I added some
sweet cherry flavor, which paired well with the vanilla.
Spritz Cookies
1 c. butter 1 c. sugar 3 egg yolks 2 t. vanilla ½ t. salt 2½ c. flour In mixing bowl, beat together butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg yolks. Stir in vanilla and salt. Tint dough, is desired. Add flour and stir until smooth. Using a cookie press with desired shape press cookies on to ungreased baking sheet. Leave about 1-inch between cookies. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 8-10 minutes- cookies should be a light golden color around the edges. Cool on a wire rack. Makes about 3 dozen.
Over the years, I have shared many of my family recipes. This is another family recipe- but not my
family. Tia Houpt found this recipe when going through her
Grandmother’s recipe collection. She was kind enough to share the
recipe- and gave me permission to share it with you. Her grandmother was
Eva Skero- so I have named the kolachy in Eva’s honor.
There is something special in having old family recipes. We find so
many recipes online these days, we sometimes forget there was a time
when recipes were handwritten. Often, they were stored in a drawer or in
a shoe box. There is usually a mix of handwritten recipes and recipes
cut out of newspapers and magazines.
Sometimes you just find a list of ingredients. Measurements aren’t always precise. A handful of this a pinch of that. The phrase moderately hot oven doesn’t real help, does it? And what exactly is a number 2 can? Still, there are some real gems in those collections.
This is one of those recipes. A real gem.
I have made kolachy for years and have used the recipe for the crust
that my mom used. I love my mom’s recipe. I love this recipe even more.
I was intrigued that the dough contains both baking powder and yeast. I had to make it, just to see what it was like.
The dough is tender and very easy to work with. It doesn’t get
chilled. You just make the dough, then roll it out and make the cookies.
I did let my butter soften a little before cutting it into the flour. I
could see using cold butter instead.
The dough rolled out beautifully and baked up a perfect golden brown. I had to let them cool a bit before I could taste one. I am not kidding- they were heavenly. Tender and so flaky. Tia and I both see this as a very nice tart or pie dough, too.
So here is Eva’s recipe. I hope you will give it a try. Thanks, Tia, for sharing it.
Eva’s Kolachy
Dough:
3 c. flour
1 t. baking powder
½ t. salt
1 c. butter*
3 eggs
2 pkts. Yeast
½ c. warm milk
Filling:
Assorted pie fillings, jams, sweetened cream cheese or ricotta cheese. You will need about three cups of filling.
In mixing bowl, combine flour with baking powder and salt. Cut
butter into flour until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Set aside.
Place eggs in a small bowl and beat until smooth. In small bowl,
dissolve yeast in warm milk. Add to egg mixture and stir to combine. Add
egg mixture to flour mixture and stir until combined. If mixture is
sticky add a small amount of flour. Roll dough out on floured board.
Thinner the better, as this dough will puff some when baked. Cut into
squares- or whatever shape you like. I did 2-inch squares. Place a
spoonful of filling into center of each cookie. Fold up two of the
corners and press firmly to seal. Fold over and press seam again. These
like to pop open when baking, so the second fold over and pressing helps
them to stay closed. Some people like to add a bit of egg wash or milk
to the tops to help them seal better. I just squeeze together and fold
twice. Place cookies on an ungreased baking sheet, about an inch apart.
Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes, or until golden
brown. Cook on a rack. Dust cooled cookies with powdered sugar or with a
powdered sugar glaze. Makes about 5-6 dozen.
*The original recipe called for shortening. Tia and I both decided
butter was better!! That is the only change we made to Eva’s original
recipe.
Cooled and dusted with powdered sugar
This post is dedicated to Eva Skero and all the home cooks out there who lovingly kept their recipes for us to find.
I will be selling boxes of cookies again this year. The boxes weigh more than 2 pounds and contain at least 10 kinds of cookies. Contact me if you are interested. They are $20 ( $18 per box if you order 3 or more) and will be available for pick-up starting December 20th.
If you want a cookie that is really going to impress, you might want
to make these Chocolate Fans. They are crisp, not too sweet, and tipped
with chocolate and fine chopped nuts.
While they look difficult to make, they are actually quite easy. For
starters, you don’t have to make dough. These are made with phyllo
dough.
Phyllo is found in the freezer section at the grocery store. Phyllo
dough (also spelled filo) can be a little fussy. Be sure to keep extra
dough covered with a damp towel so it won’t dry out and get brittle. It
is best to work quickly when making these. We made these dipped in
finely chopped toasted almonds. Other nuts could be used. You could also
use white chocolate, if you prefer. I have even added a few sprinkles
to the nuts for a pop of color.
Chocolate Fan Cookies
1 lb. phyllo dough, thawed*
1 c. butter, melted
12-oz. chocolate chips
2 T. shortening- you can use coconut oil instead
1 c. finely chopped nuts or coconut, pistachios are extra nice
Remove phyllo from box, still rolled up and cut crosswise into 5-6
equal pieces. Keep unused dough covered in a damp towel to prevent
drying out. Take one piece of dough and open it up, cutting it in half
crosswise. Take 1 sheet and brush with butter. Place another sheet on
top and brush again with butter. Place third piece of dough on top and
butter again. Starting at short end begin to fold the dough in ¾ inch
folds, accordion style. Pinch together at one end and fan out the dough
at the other. It should look like a little fan. Place on ungreased
baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough. Bake at 375 degrees for 5
minutes. Cool. Melt chocolate and shortening together in microwave or on
top of double boiler. Stir to smooth. Dip tip of wide end of fans in
melted chocolate and then in the nuts or coconut. Place on a rack to
cool and harden. Makes about 65 fans. Can be frozen.
*I buy frozen phyllo dough but be sure to get the right one. Around
here there are 2 different sizes. You’ll need the long box- where the
dough is 15 inches long.
Cream Wafers are a little more work than most cookies, but they are
worth it. They are the most requested cookies of all the ones I make.
The secret is the dough, which contains no sugar. It is made from only
three ingredients- flour, butter and heavy whipping cream.
When baked, they turn into flaky layers that melt in your mouth.
Seriously, if you want to really impress this holiday season, show up at
a party with these cookies.
Cream wafers are coated in sugar before baking. You can use tinted
sugar, if you like. Once baked and cooled, they are made into little
sandwich cookies, using a buttercream frosting. You can also tint the
frosting if you like.
Because they puff when baking and become thicker, and you are using
two of them to make the sandwich cookie, be sure to roll them out pretty
thin.
Here is the recipe. Hope you enjoy!!
Cream Wafers
1 c. butter
1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
2 c. flour
extra fine or granulated sugar
Frosting:
¼ c. butter, softened
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 T. milk
1 t. vanilla
food coloring, if desired
Mix butter, cream and flour well. Wrap and chill at least an hour.
Roll chilled dough 1/8 inch thick on lightly floured board. Cut out into
1½ inch rounds or even little hearts or stars. Transfer cookies to a
sheet of wax paper heavily coated with extra fine or granulated sugar
and coat both sides. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and prick each
cookie 4 times with a fork. Bake at 375-degrees 7-9 minutes until
lightly browned and puffy. Cool on rack. Mix frosting ingredients. Put 2
cookies together with frosting to make “sandwiches”.
This is the first cookie I can remember making with my Mother. She
sat me down at the kitchen table with a pile of chilled dough. I think I
was 7. She put a piece of wax paper on the table, then rolled out one
small ball of dough. She told me to do what she had just done. Roll out
the rest of the dough into little balls. I sat there and made one tiny
dough ball after another, until I was done. I can’t make these cookies
without thinking of her. A special memory, indeed.
I had a conversation with a childhood friend recently about these
cookies. She remembered that my Mom used to make them, and she wondered
if I still did. I still do make them. Wouldn’t seem like Christmas
without them.
Russian Teacakes, also known as Mexican Wedding Cakes are a delicate
nut-filled shortbread cookie coated in powdered sugar. The magic is
created when the cookies, hot from the oven, are rolled in powdered
sugar. The powdered sugar clings to the hot cookies and makes a sort of
sweet coating. Once cooled, they are dusted with more powdered sugar.
Whether you call them Russian Teacakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, or as
another friend always refers to them, butter balls, these cookies are a
must for your holiday cookie baking.
Russian Teacakes
1 c. butter
½ c. powdered sugar, plus extra for coating
1 t. vanilla
2 ¼ c. flour
¼ t. salt
¾ c. finely chopped nuts, nearly ground
Mix butter, ½ cup sugar and vanilla well. Stir flour and salt
together and then add to butter mixture. Mix well and stir in nuts. Wrap
dough and chill. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 1-inch balls
and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10-12 minutes.
Cookies should be lightly browned on the bottom. While still warm, roll
cookies in powdered sugar. Dust again with sugar once cooled. Makes
about 4 dozen.
Like so many of you, I am gearing up for a lot of baking in the next couple of weeks. Here are some tips to make holiday baking easier.
Make a list (shopping) and check it twice. Nothing is more frustrating than getting ready to bake and finding that you are missing one ingredient or something is too old to use. Go over your recipes in the kitchen or pantry, so you can check your inventory as you make your list.
Read through the directions before starting to make sure your ingredients are ready. You may need to let ingredients like butter or eggs come to room temperature, or you might need to toast nuts. Better to get it all ready before you get started, than to find out you aren’t ready.
Make sure you have enough of the basics. There are about 8 cups of sugar in a four-pound bag and about 20 cups of flour in a five-pound bag. For powdered sugar- you get about 4 cups in a one-pound bag, a bit more if you sift it. In brown sugar, a one pound bag yields a little over 2 cups, assuming you pack it when measuring.
Make sure ingredients are fresh. High fat foods like nuts and butter should be kept refrigerated or frozen for best flavor. These foods can become rancid if stored too long at room temperature. I like to buy nuts in season, which is fall and winter and freeze them for all year. The price is usually better and they will keep fine in the freezer.
Check your powders. Baking powder can lose its fizz if it is too old. To test what you have at home, place a teaspoon of baking powder in a cup and add 2 tablespoons of boiling water. It should bubble up. If nothing happens get a fresh tin. To test baking soda- place a small amount (1/4 teaspoon or so) in a spoon. Add a few drops of lemon juice or vinegar. The soda should bubble up. If it does nothing, time to get a fresh box.
Make one day and bake another. If you are making cookies try making and chilling the dough all at one time and then just chill or freeze it until you are ready to bake it. Cookie dough can be frozen for up to a couple of months with no problem. This way you can concentrate on just one thing, clean up that mess and the next day just do the baking. Cookie dough will keep in the fridge for a week if it contains no eggs and 4 days if it does. I often decorate the cookies another day if I can, just to keep down the chaos in my too small kitchen.
Two can be as easy as one. If you are making quick breads for gifts it is usually no problem to double the batch and get that much more baking out of the way. I like to buy pretty foil pans so I can bake and give the bread in the same pan. At paper outlet stores, baking supply stores and cake decorating stores you can find an assortment of containers with lids for even easier packaging.
Keep it simple. I like to make really fancy desserts, too, but sometimes there just isn’t the time. You can dress up a simple cake with drizzles of melted chocolate, fancy sprinkles, chocolate curls and edible glitter. A fun way to dress up a cake is to place a doily on the top of the cake and then dust the cake with cocoa (for a white frosted cake) or powdered sugar (for a dark frosted cake) or even cinnamon or cinnamon sugar. Gently lift off the doily and you will have a lacy design on your cake. Use window stencils or cookie cutters for other designs. I have a bunch of star-shaped cookie cutters. I place them on the cake, then add powdered sugar inside them. When I remove the cookie cutters, I have little stars on my cake.
Make a list of what you want to bake, then list them in order of importance. Bake the stuff on the top of your list first. That way, if you can’t get it all done, the stuff you needed the most gets done.
Please don’t beat yourself up if it doesn’t all get made. You should enjoy the holidays, too.
There are so many cookies I bake this
time of year, I could never pick a favorite. There are some cookies that
are a MUST bake, however.
These cookie-candies are one of them. They get their name because, once decorated, they look like little pieces of candy.
Under the sprinkles are rich and tasty oatmeal shortbread cookies.
Shortbread cookies are always a favorite of mine. I think I make half a
dozen varieties of shortbread.
The dough is easy to handle. You just shape small amounts into shapes
like circles, squares and ovals. They hold their shape. Like most
shortbread, they bake at a lower temperature than other cookies. They
also bake a bit longer. They should be a little golden on the bottom
when done.
After they are baked and cooled, the cookies are dipped in melted
chocolate and then in assorted toppings. You can dip them in sprinkles,
finely chopped nuts and coconut. Pretty and tasty.
Cookie-Candies
1 c. butter
¾ c. powdered sugar
1 T. vanilla
2 c. flour
½ c. rolled oats
½ c. chocolate chips
¼ c. milk
finely chopped nuts
assorted sprinkles
shredded coconut
Cream together butter, sugar and vanilla. Stir in flour and oats.
Shape teaspoonfuls of the dough into different shapes like rounds,
ovals, cones cubes etc. Try to make them look like little candies. They
will hold their shape very well while baking. Bake in a 325- degree oven
for 20-25 minutes on an ungreased baking sheet. Cool. In microwave safe
dish combine chocolate and milk and melt. Dip tops of cookies in
chocolate mixture and then in one of the toppings you have. Chocolate
topping will harden up after a while. Makes about 4 dozen.
I enjoy making liqueurs with seasonal fruits, but when fruit is in short supply, you can also use extracts.
Pure extracts will give your liqueur a nice, true flavor, but no
color. I have made almond, hazelnut, walnut and peppermint. You can use
whatever flavors you think you might like.
One advantage is that liqueurs made from extracts are ready to drink in less than a week. Fruit-based liqueurs often take weeks and weeks to fully develop. They make fun gifts, too.
Another advantage is that you can adjust the sweetness to your own
taste as well. I have included the recipes for almond and peppermint,
but the recipe is the same for any extract flavor you might want to
make.
You can also add extracts to fruit based liqueurs. I make a
cherry-vanilla liqueur that is amazing. Just be careful on the amounts.
Pure extracts are loaded with flavor. Use a light hand, then add more
later, if needed.
Almond Liqueur
1 t. pure almond extract
3 c. vodka
1 c. simple syrup
Combine all ingredients and let mature several days. Makes 4 cups.
Peppermint Liqueur
1 t. pure peppermint extract
3 c. vodka
1 c. simple syrup
Combine all ingredients and let mature several days. Makes 4 cups.
Sweetening- Simple syrup is made from 1 cup of sugar and ½ cup of
water. Bring to a boil, then cool. You will have 1 cup of syrup. You can
sweeten your liqueur with honey, if you prefer. Watch when you
substitute honey for sugar, as it is sweeter and stronger flavored.
Better to use orange or clover honey. Add to suit your taste.
I am always looking for homemade gift ideas for the holidays. I
really like gifts that both adults and kids can make. This one is just a
simple way to package homemade hot cocoa mix to make it special. We
made these in a holiday gift class the other night. People really
enjoyed making them.
You start with hot cocoa mix- recipe follows. Then you get these cone shaped bags. I use a 12-inch size and a 17-inch size. I buy my online, but they are available in some craft and candy making stores. Just put about 1 cup of the hot cocoa mix in the smaller cone-shaped bag. Fold the top down and tape it shut. Now place the smaller bag inside the larger bag. Top with about a cup of mini marshmallows mixed with some chocolate chips. The chips are optional. Tie shut with a ribbon. It ends up looking (sort of) like an ice cream cone. I add a label that says “Hot Cocoa for Two” with directions that say, “Divide hot cocoa mix between two large mugs. Fill with a cup of boiling water in each. Stir and top with the marshmallows”. You can make whatever label you like. A quick and simple gift. You could also include mugs with the gift. This is a great idea for kids to make for grandparents, teachers, etc.
Here is the recipe for the hot cocoa mix.
Hot Cocoa Mix
3 c. nonfat dry milk
1 c. cocoa
1 c. sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 c. mini marshmallows (optional)
In large bowl, mix all ingredients well. I like to sift the
ingredients in because it powders the milk even finer than the way it
comes. Store in an airtight jar and use within 6 months. To use add 5
tablespoonfuls to 8 ounces boiling water. Variation, flavor with
cinnamon, instant coffee, cayenne pepper or even dried orange peel.
