Gramma’s Special Rolled Cookies

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This recipe was originally a winner in the Pillsbury Bake-Off some time in the late 50s or early 60s. I’m not sure what exactly the first recipe was like, but then my Mom is not known for tweaking recipes, and I got the recipe from her.  This might be the only recipe I ever got from her.

These are just about my favourite cookies. The only cookies that might beat it out for first are the macaroons at Ladurree in Paris. But what could compete with that?

1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon orange zest
1/4 cup orange juice
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (new addition to the recipe)

glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup honey

ground almonds

Cream the butter and sugar. Add the zest and orange juice. Combine the dry ingredients and add to the creamed mixture. Divide the dough into about 3 blobs and wrap each with plastic wrap and form into flattened discs and chill for about an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Make the glaze by heating all the ingredients in a small sauce pan until the sugar melts. Roll out the dough to about 1/6 inch and cut with a cookie cutter. A crescent or moon is a very nice choice. Bake for about 7 minutes, until just golden brown. While the cookies are still warm, brush on the glaze and then liberally sprinkle on the almonds. Let the cookies cool and set.

You need to keep an eye on the baking cookies, as they can burn quickly, being so thin. Also, to apply the almonds I often just take the glazed cookie and turn it upside down on the dish of almonds to get a nice coating. Once the cookies are glazed, almonded, and cooled, they are sturdier.

Zimtsterne

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I started making these cookies when I was in high school. They are very Christmassy and taste great. It’s not a make after school kind of cookie, but one does need the little bit fancy Christmas cookies. These are of course a German cookie, but this is Berry Crocker’s recipe, not a traditional German recipe.

3 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1 egg, separated
1 tsp lemon juice
2 1/3 cups unbleached flour
2 1/2 tps baking powder
1 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cups finely chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Cream the butter, sugar, and 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk until fluffy
Combine the dry ingredients and add to mixture.
Stir in the chopped nuts.
Roll out batches of the dough (1/3 at a time) to 1/16 inch thick
on lightly floured board. But into stars. Place on cookie sheet
and brush with the egg white beaten frothy.
Bake for 5-8 minutes.