*COOKIES*
In baking small cakes and cookies, grease the pans. If the pans cool before you can take off the cookies, set back on stove for a few moments. The cakes will then slip off easily. Sponge, drop cakes, anise cakes, etc., are better baked on floured pans.
A whole raisin, an almond blanched, a piece of citron or half a walnut may be used to decorate.
A good way to glaze is, when cookies are about baked, rub over with a brush dipped in sugar and water and return to oven a moment.
FILLED b.u.t.tER CAKES (DUTCH STUFFED MONKEYS)
Make a paste by working three-fourths pound of b.u.t.ter into one pound of flour, with three-fourths pound of light brown sugar, one egg, one teaspoon of cinnamon, and a pinch of salt.
Next mix one-half pound of finely chopped citron peel with one-half pound of ground almonds, and three ounces of b.u.t.ter. Then flavor with one-half teaspoon of vanilla and bind with the yolks of two eggs.
Roll out the dough and divide into two parts. Place one-half on a well-b.u.t.tered flat pan and spread the mixture over it and cover with the other half of the paste. Brush with beaten egg, sprinkle with poppy seed and bake in a moderately quick oven for one-half hour. When done let cool and then cut into square or oblong pieces.
The b.u.t.ter cakes may be made of one layer of dough sprinkled with citron and almonds and some poppy seed.
SUGAR COOKIES
In a mixing bowl put a cup of sweet b.u.t.ter and two cups of granulated sugar; beat these ingredients to a cream, then add three eggs, grated lemon rind, and four tablespoons of brandy. Beat the added ingredients thoroughly with the others till the mixture is smooth and creamy. Sift three cups of flour in a big bowl with a teaspoon of salt and three teaspoons of baking-powder; stir this a little at a time in the bowl with the other ingredients, until the mixture is a light dough, just stiff enough to roll out. If there is not enough flour, sift more in to make the dough the desired stiffness; then dust the pastry board well with flour, put part of the dough on the board, toss it lightly with your hands from side to side till the dough is covered with flour. Then dust the rolling-pin well with flour and roll the dough very thin; cut it in shapes with a cookie cutter, lift each cookie up carefully with a pancake turner, slip them quickly in a big baking-pan, the inside of which has been well rubbed with flour, and bake them in a moderate oven till light brown.
Just a moment before taking the pan out of the oven sprinkle the surface of the cookies lightly with granulated sugar. When a little cool take the cookies out of the pan with the pancake turner and lay them on a big platter. When they are cold put the cookies in a stone crock.
It is a good plan to have two or three baking-pans so, while one panful is baking, another may be filled and be ready to put in the oven when the other is removed. Only put enough dough on the pastry board at a time to roll out nicely on it.
OLD-FASHIONED HAMBURGER COOKIES
Take one pound of b.u.t.ter one pound of sugar, yolks of six eggs, hard-boiled, and flour enough to make a dough that is not too stiff.
Dissolve three cents worth of ammonia (hartshorn) in scalded milk. Place the ammonia in a large bowl and pour one cup of scalding milk over it.
After this has cooled add it to the dough with one-half cup of cold milk. Flavor to taste. Flour the pans and the cookie dough. Roll and proceed as with sugar cookies.
MOTHER"S DELICIOUS COOKIES (MERBER KUCHEN)
Take ten boiled eggs and two raw ones, one pound of best b.u.t.ter, half a pound of almonds, one lemon, some cinnamon one winegla.s.s of brandy, one pound of pulverized sugar and about one pound and a half of flour. This quant.i.ty makes one hundred cookies, and like fruit cake, age improves them, in other words, the older the better. Now to begin with: Set a dish of boiling water on the stove, when it boils hard, break the eggs carefully, one at a time, dropping the whites in a deep porcelain dish, and set away in a cool place. Take each yolk as you break the egg and put it in a half sh.e.l.l, and lay it in the boiling water until you have ten boiling. When boiled hard take them up and lay them on a plate to cool. In the meantime, cream the b.u.t.ter with a pound of pulverized sugar, add the grated peel of a lemon, a teaspoon of cinnamon and half of the almonds, which have been blanched and pounded or grated (reserve the other half for the top of the cookies, which should not be grated, but pounded). Add the hard-boiled yolks, which must be grated, and the two raw eggs, sift in the flour, and add the brandy. Beat up the whites of the twelve eggs very stiff, add half to the dough, reserving the other half, but do not make the dough stiff, as it should be so rich that you can hardly handle it. Flour the baking-board well, roll out about an eighth of an inch thick. Now spread with the reserved whites of eggs, reserving half again, as you will have to roll out at least twice on a large baking-board. Sprinkle well with the pounded almonds after you have spread the beaten whites of the eggs on top, also sugar and cinnamon. Cut with a cookie-cutter. Have at least five large pans greased ready to receive them. See that you have a good fire. Time to bake, five to ten minutes. Pack them away when cold in a stone jar or tin cake-box. These cookies will keep a long time.
VANILLA COOKIES
Rub one cup of b.u.t.ter and one cup of sugar to a cream; add two eggs and two level teaspoons of baking-powder, flour enough to make a dough.
Flavor with vanilla, roll very thin, spread with beaten white of egg and sugar. Proceed as for sugar cookies.
OLD-FASHIONED MOLa.s.sES COOKIES
Put in a mixing bowl one generous cup of b.u.t.ter which has stood in a warm place until quite soft; add two cups of New Orleans mola.s.ses; whip these ingredients to a foam; then add two teaspoons of powdered ginger, one teaspoon of powdered cinnamon and grate in half a large nutmeg; stir these spices well through the mixture; then dissolve two teaspoons of baking-soda in half a cup of hot water; stir it through the mixture, and last, stir in enough sifted flour to make a light dough just stiff enough to roll out.
Dust the pastry board well with flour and rub the rolling-pin well with flour; then flour the hands well, take out some of the dough, put it on the pastry board, quickly roll it out to the thickness of a quarter of an inch; cut the dough out with a round cutter, with or without scallops, and put them in well-floured baking-pans and bake in a slow oven till a golden brown.
SOUR MILK COOKIES
Take one cup of b.u.t.ter, one cup of sugar, two or three eggs, and two-thirds of a cup of sour milk. Dissolve a teaspoon of soda in a little hot water; add part of it at a time to the milk until it foams as you stir it. Be careful not to get in too much. Mix up soft only using flour sufficient to roll out thin. A teaspoon of cardamom seed may be sprinkled into the dough.
HUNGARIAN ALMOND COOKIES
Scant one-quarter of a pound of almonds, blanched and grated; scant one-half pound of sweet b.u.t.ter; not quite three-quarters of a pound of flour; a little sugar and a pinch of salt, and two yolks. Mix this well, pound the dough well with the rolling-pin, then roll out not too thin.
Bake.
NUTMEG CAKES (PFEFFERNUESSE)
Sift one pound of flour and one pound of pulverized sugar into a large bowl, four eggs, a piece of citron grated or chopped very fine, also the peel of a lemon, one whole nutmeg grated, one tablespoon of ground cinnamon, one-half teaspoon of ground cloves, and half a teaspoon of allspice. Mix all thoroughly in a deep bowl. Sift a heaping teaspoon of baking-powder in with the flour. Work into little b.a.l.l.s as large as hickory nuts with b.u.t.tered or floured hands. Bake on waxed or b.u.t.tered tins, an inch apart.
ANISE SEED COOKIES (SPRINGELE)
Four eggs, not separated, but thoroughly beaten, then add one and one-half cups of granulated sugar, and beat for thirty minutes; add two heaping cups of flour and fourteen drops of anise seed oil; drop from a teaspoon on well-b.u.t.tered pans, and bake in a moderate oven. It will improve them to let them stand from two to three hours in the pans before baking.
CARDAMOM COOKIES
Boil six eggs hard. When cold sh.e.l.l and grate the yolks (reserve the whites for salads or to garnish vegetables), add one-half pound of sugar, the grated peel of a lemon and one-half winegla.s.s of brandy. Stir in one-half pound of b.u.t.ter which has been worked to a cream. Sift in as much flour as you think will allow you to roll out the dough; take as little as possible, a little over half a pound, and flour the board very thick. Put in about two cents worth of cardamom seed and a little rosewater. Cut out with a fancy cake-cutter and brush with beaten egg.
Sprinkle pounded almonds and sugar on top.
PURIM CAKES
Take two cups of flour, one tablespoon of sugar, add four eggs and two tablespoons of oil; knead all these together, roll out not very thin, cut in squares, close two sides, p.r.i.c.k with a fork so they will not blister; put on tins and bake well. Then take one pound of honey, boil, and put the squares in this and let boil a bit; then drop in one-quarter pound of poppy seeds and put back on fire. When nice and brown sprinkle with a little cold water, take off and put on another dish so they do not stick to each other.
PARVE COOKIES
To one pound of flour take one teaspoon of baking-powder, four eggs, one-quarter pound of poppy seeds, three tablespoons of oil, two pounds of sugar and a little salt; knead not too stiff and put on tins and bake in hot oven till a nice brown. (Do not let burn.)
TEIGLECH
Mix one pound of flour, one teaspoon of baking-powder, three tablespoons of oil, and four eggs; knead very well. Roll out in strips three inches long, place on tins and bake. Take a pound of chopped nuts, one-half pound of honey, and one-half pound of sugar; mix thoroughly with wooden spoon and boil with the cakes until brown. Take off the stove; wet with cold water, spread out on board. When cold, pat with the hands to make thin and sprinkle with dry ginger.
HONEY CORN CAKES