Two cookie recipes and one for cranberry relish

Holiday’s are always a time for preparing favorite dishes and festive treats.  I have several recipes that get dusted off at this time of year, and I spent most of the day with the daughter making cookies and cranberries.  The cookies are simply family favorites: the cranberry recipe comes form an out-of-print HP microwave cookbook, but has always been ‘can’t miss’ for jelling into relish at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I managed to fill the kitchen with smoke making Dutch Speculaas cookies, baking at 375 instead of 350 <sigh>.  Part of the problem is that I mistook the Speculaas dough for the Molasses dough, making balls and rolling them in sugar.  In the end, I had golf-ball sized round windmill cookies.  I dipped them in frosting and turned them into festive little spice buttons…people are talking about making them a tradition now.  I think I’m just losing my touch in the kitchen…’glad I got a daughter to help!

Rugelach

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 1 egg yolk
• ¾ cup sour cream
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ cup chopped walnuts (optional)
• ¼ cup butter, melted

Cut butter into flour using two knives as if making a pie crust. In a separate bowl, beat egg yolk and sour cream well, then add to flour mixture. Mix until blended. Divide dough into three parts. Cover with plastic and refrigerate at least 3 hours.

Prepare filling by combining sugar, cinnamon, and (optional ) walnuts. Pre-heat oven to 375 deg F.

Working with one portion at a time, roll dough into circle 1/8” thick.  Brush each circle lightly with melted butter and spread one third of the filling on each.  Cut each circle into 16 wedges, like a pizza. Starting from the large end of each wedge, roll up toward point, jelly-roll fashion.  Place cookies on ungreased cookie sheets and bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.  Cool on racks and store in covered tins.

Yield: About 4 dozen.

Cranberry Sauce

• 1 cup sugar
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup cranberry liqueur, brandy, or mixture
• 2 cups cranberries

In a deep 2-qt casserole dish, combine sugar, water, and liqueur.  Microwave, uncovered, at full power for 4 to 5 minutes, until boiling, stirring once or twice to dissolve sugar.  Syrup should be clear.  Stir in cranberries and cover loosely with waxed paper.  Microwave at full power for 5 minutes or until the skins on the cranberries pop, stirring once.  Uncover and microwave at 30% for 15 minutes or until thickened to the desired consistency, stirring once.  Cover and refrigerate.

Yield: 2 cups

Molasses Cookies

• ¾ cup shortening
• 1 cup sugar

• ¼ cup molasses

• 1 egg
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ tsp cloves
• ½ tsp ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp salt

Melt shortening in a 3-4 quart bowl.  Add sugar, molasses, and egg, beat well.  Sift together the dry ingredients and add to the liquid.  Mix well, chill for 1 ½ hour.  Roll into 1” balls, and roll each in sugar.  Pre-heat over to 375 degrees F.  Bake on a greased cookie sheet, 2” apart (do not flatten the dough) for 5-6 minutes.