Day 10, 2015: GREEK HOLIDAY COOKIES

Baked by Barbara of the Berwick Library - The community's living room. Join us for coffee & conversation, music and cookies! Dec 18th, 10 - 12 noon. Everyone is welcome.

I chose these cookies because they were simple to make yet had an old world hint to the name and also a hint of the orient. It makes me think of the Silk Road and the three wise men bringing cloves to the Mediterranean. From ChristmasTraditions: Cooking, Crafts, & Gifts.
 
Makes 4 1/2 dozen cookies
- 1 cup (250 ml) butter or margarine, softened
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) granulated sugar
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon (2ml) vanilla
- 1/2 teaspoon (2 ml) brandy extract
- 2 1/2 cups (625 ml) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon (5 ml) baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) ground cloves
- 1/4 teaspoon (1 ml) salt
- whole cloves
- powdered sugar

1. Heat oven to 350 F/180 C. In a large mixing bowl combine butter, sugar, egg, vanilla and brandy extract. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add flour, baking powder, ground cloves and salt. Beat at low speed until soft dough forms.
2. Shape heaping teaspoon dough into crescent or S shapes. Place shapes 2" (5 cm) apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Press 2 whole cloves until into each shape.
3. Bake for 9 to 11 minutes, or until set. Let cool 1 minute before removing from cookie sheets. Sprinkle cookies with powdered sugar. Cool completely before storing. Remove whole cloves before eating.
Tip: flavour of cookies improves after a few days of storage.

Don't forget-- you too can Enter to win a gift card. Show us YOUR cookies! 

Day 1, 2015: ORANGE POPPY SEED SWIRLS

From Company’s Coming: Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen by Jean Paré.
Baked by Sue Mosher of our Bookmobile & Off-site services branch. These cookie delights will be on board for you to sample today in East Dalhousie and Springfield.

“Delicate shortbread cookie with a sweet orange filling. Arrange some in a coloured glass dish as a gift for your neighbour.” – Jean Paré

COOKIES
1 cup butter or margarine, softened

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1 tbsp. grated orange zest

1 tbsp. milk

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cornstarch



 My first batch, baked for 10 minutes. L

Cream butter and sugar in a medium bowl. Add poppy seeds, orange zest, and milk. Beat well.

Combine flour and cornstarch in small bowl. Add to butter mixture half at a time, mixing well after each addition, until no dry flour remains. Prepare cookie sheets by greasing them or lining them with parchment paper. Spoon 1/2 of dough into piping bag fitted with medium star tip. Pipe 36 rosettes, 1 1/4 inches in diameter, about 2 inches apart onto prepared cookie sheets. Roll remaining dough into thirty-six 3/4 inch balls. Arrange about 2 inches apart on cookie sheets. Dip flat-bottomed glass into flour or cornstarch. Flatten balls into 1 1/4 inch diameter discs. Bake rosettes and discs in a 350˚F oven for about 10 minutes [check after 5 minutes], until golden. Let stand on cookie sheets 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

My second batch, perfect!

FILLING

1 3/4 cups icing sugar

2 tbsp. butter or margarine, softened

1 tbsp. orange juice

2 tsp. grated orange zest

Beat all 4 ingredients in small bowl, adding more icing sugar or orange juice, if necessary, until spreadable consistency. Makes about 3/4 cup filling. Spread 1 tsp. filling on bottom of each disc. Place rosettes on top of filling.

Makes 3 dozen cookies.

          I decided to try making these cookies because they looked so pretty. I made them with lemon instead of orange because I love anything that has lemon and poppy seed. They tasted really good!

          I found that 10 minutes was way too long for baking time. My cookies were nicely done at 6 minutes, so I would suggest keeping a close eye on them. I made three batches of a dozen each from this recipe, just as was indicated. They weren’t terribly difficult to make but I decided to make the last batch just circles without the rosettes.

 

Don't forget-- you too can Enter to win a gift card. Show us YOUR cookies! 

 

 

 

 

 

Cookies from YOU!

Gingerbread Cookie Mix in a Jar, baked by Diana in Lawrencetown, from the book Christmas Gifts from the Kitchen.