By Catherine Bauman

1. cups all purpose flour

1 cup polenta

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter- softened (3 sticks)

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups dried cranberries

 

*Preheat oven to 350F

 

In a bowl, whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder and salt, In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs 1 at a time, beating well after each. Add Vanilla and then slowly add flour mixture, stir until combined well. Stir in cranberries.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto greased baking sheets- and bake cookies in batches in the middle of the oven 16 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Transfer cookies with a spatula to racks to cool.

** You may also make the dough- roll it into a log wrap it in plastic which has been sprayed with oil- freeze and slice off when you want to bake fresh cookies.

 

 

Special Mention Prizes- for the Classic Cookie-

Holiday Speckled Drops

By Kristin Ferguson

1 ½ cups unsalted butter- room temperature

1 cup light brown sugar- packed

½ cup white sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 eggs, room temperature

1 ½ cups unbleached white flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup of the oat bran

½ - ¾ teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon cloves

2 ½ cups old fashioned oats

½ cup raisins

¾ cups cranberries

1 ½ cup toasted pecans

¾ cup 60% cocoa chips or chunks finely chopped or shaved.

 

Preheat oven to 375F

In a food processor, chop raisins and cranberries into a paste, with the oat bran and set aside.

Beat butter and sugars until creamy – about 3 min. One at a time, add in eggs, and then the vanilla. Mix in the fruit paste.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, bran, salt, baking powder, baking soda, spices and oats. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture- stopping about ¾ the way through to add the pecans and the chocolate. Finish incorporating the dry ingredients.

On parchment lined baking sheets, drop tablespoon sized pieces of cookie dough.

Bake for 12-15 min- cool on the cookie sheet before removing.

 

Special Mention Prize for Presentation

Orange Chocolate Chip Shortbread

By Loril Tochterman * an old family recipe

 

For the Shortbread

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange peel

1 ¾ cups all purpose flour

¼ cup corn starch

¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate morsels *mini

For the Chocolate

2 cups chocolate chips

Paraffin wax

Heat oven to 325F. In a large bowl, beat softened butter and powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Add orange peel, blend well. Lightly spoon flour into measuring cup and level off. Stir in flour and corn starch, mixing well. Stir in mini chocolate morsels.

Divide dough into four equal parts; shape each part into a smooth round ball. On ungreased cookie sheet, press ball of dough into 6 inch circle, aprox ¼ inch thick. With a knife, score each circle into 8, 12, or 16 wedges. Prick each wedge 3 times with a fork. Bake for 17 to 27 minutes or until edges are lightly brown *time depending on oven. As soon as the cookies are out of the oven, carefully cut and remove from the cookie sheet, and place cookies on a cooling rack. Be careful! Cookies will break easily. Cook completely.

Melt chocolate morsels in double boiler pot. Add shavings of paraffin wax. When melted, dip rounded- end of cooled shortbread into chocolate. Place on wax or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. When cookie sheet is filled with dipped shortbread, place in freezer while working on dipping the next batch. When chocolate hardens on shortbread in freezer, take out and refrigerate cookies in a container.

 

Special Mention Prize for Creativity

Lemon Rosemary Slices

By Judy Kuechle

½ cup butter, soft

½ cup sugar

3 tablespoons sugar

2 tsps grated lemon peel

½ tsp finely chopped fresh or 1/8^th tsp crumbled dried rosemary.

1 egg

1 ½ cups all purpose flour

¼ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

3 tablespoons sugar

1 tsp. Grated lemon peel

 

In a large bowl mix- butter, sugar, 1 teaspoon lemon peel, rosemary and egg. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt.

Divide dough in half, shape each half into 9 inch rolls.*They should end up just under 1 inch in diameter. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm- about 2 hours.

Pre-heat oven to 375F. Mix 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 teaspoon lemon peel. Spread mixture on a dry baking sheet or dry flat surface Pat the rolls into the mixture to lightly coat the rolls. Slice into ¼ inch pieces- place about 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheets. Top with additional sugar/lemonpeel mixture.

Bake in the preheated oven (375F) for 5-8 min- or until the edges become golden. Let cool before enjoying.

* If Desired, Decorate with a bit of rosemary.

 

 

 

Taralli Cookies

By Nancy Bircher

 

6 cups flour

6 teaspoons baking powder

3 tablespoons chocolate

2 heaping tablespoons brown sugar

2 cups white sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon cloves

½ teaspoon mace

¼ lb butter

2 tablespoons Crisco-

4 eggs

½ cup milk (2%)

1 ½ cup coarsely chopped nuts (we use walnuts)

Grated rind of one Orange

¾ cup Orange Juice

flavor ** whiskey, amaretto, Grand Marnier- or extract

* Sift together all dry ingredients. Mix in orange rind. Separate three of the eggs. Beat together one whole egg and the three yokes, saving the whites for frosting. In a separate bowl, melt the butter and shortening, mix in the milk, then mix in the beaten eggs.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture.

Kneed in the flavoring. If the dough is too soft, add more flour using one teaspoon baking powder for each cup flour. Turn on floured board and knead lightly. Roll into a log- and break off chunks forming balls, about one inch in diameter.

Place on Greased Pan and bake for about 15min in 350 degree pre-heated oven.

Frosting- Beat egg whites until stiff. Slowly add one 1 pound powder sugar and juice of 1 lemon. Stir well, put cooled cookies in a bowl, pour on frosting and stir around until all are frosted. Place on a board to dry

 

 

Chocolate Cookies with Poached Cherries

By Veronica Bercaives

 

1 2/3 Cups Flour, all purpose

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

¾ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon cornstarch or potato flour

10 tablespoons butter- softened

½ cup brown sugar- packed

½ cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup cherry preserves

3 tablespoons crème fraiche

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ teaspoon almond extract

1 cup chocolate chips (dark or light depending upon taste)

½ cup dried cherries- poached *see recipe.

 

Sift together the flour, coca powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cornstarch (or potato flour) into a medium bowl.

In the bowl of an electric mixer using the paddle attachment beat the butter and sugars at medium- high speed until well blended, about two minutes. Reduce the speed to medium and beat in the cherry preserves, Beat in the crème fraiche and extracts, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. At low speed, ad the dry ingredients, mixing just until combined, Add the chips and poached cherries, and mix.

 

Scrape the dough out onto a work surface and shape it into a ball, Divide the dough into quarters, and shape each piece into a 9 inch log about one inch in diameter. Wrap each log in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, until firm.

 

Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.

 

Using a large sharp knife, slice the logs into 1./4 inch thick rounds, and arrange the rounds on the prepared baking sheets, spacing them 1 ½ inches apart. Baking the cookies one sheet at a time for 10 to 12 minutes.

 

Poached Cherries- makes ½ cup

½ cup dried cherries, unsweetened

¼ cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

½ tablespoon dark rum

1 tablespoon sugar

- Combine the cherries, wine, orange juice, rum and sugar in a small heavy saucepan; bring just to a boil over meduum heat, stirring all the while. Lower the heat so the liquid is at a bare simmer and poach for 20 min. – Remove from the heat, cover the pan with plastic wrap, and allow cooling to room temperature. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator.

** the raisins will keep for up to two weeks.

 

 

 

Marnie’s Tropical Ginger Cookies

By Marnie Bivetto

 

1 ½ cup crystallized ginger

1 tsp dried ginger

1 ½ cups sugar

¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)

2 eggs

1 tsp grated lemon rind

1 tsp grated orange rind

2 tbsp maple syrup

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp baking soda

1 cup flaked sweetened coconut

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 ½ cups flour

In a cuisinart, pulse the crystallized ginger with ½ cup sugar until it becomes the texture of coarse sand (do not over process). Spread evenly onto a large cookie sheet and set aside.

In the processor, cream the butter and the 1 cup sugar, add the eggs, 1 cup of the ginger mixture, grated rinds, spices, salt, coconut, vanilla, maple syrup, baling soda and flour. Process until well blended into pliable cookie dough. Place the dough onto a long sheet of plastic wrap and form into a 1 ½ to 2 inch diameter log. Wrap the log completely in the plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm. (at least two hours). Pre-heat the oven to 325F. Slice the log into ¼ inch slices and lightly press the slices into the ginger/sugar mixture. Place the slices with the sugar side up on a cookie sheet, and bake for 12-15 min- Lightly golden means a moist and chewy cookie- darker golden will give you a crispy cookie. Crispy cookies are PERFECT for making ice cream sandwiches * may I suggest pumpkin gelato from Dolce Spazio in Los Gatos. ** For a tropical zing- add one cup of candied pineapple to the ginger/sugar crystal topping.

 

 

Coriander Cookies

Bachelor cookies

By Tony Bryhan

 

½ cup vegetable shortening

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

4-5 tsp ground coriander seeds

 

Cream together these items

Then blend in

 

1 cup sugar

1 large egg

½ cup buttermilk

2 & 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour

**Optional substitute of ½ cup whole wheat pastry flour for an equal amount of the unbleached flour

Into the creamed items, beat in the egg; add the flour alternately with the milk. Blend well. Drop the cookie dough from a teaspoon about 2 inches apart onto a greased baking sheet. Round the mounds. In a preheated 360F oven, bake for 15 min until lightly browned.

Cool and store- airtight for freezing.

Makes about 3dozen

 

 

 

Monkey Bars

By Maria Gonzalez

½ cup raisins

1 ½ tablespoons dark rum or apple juice

1 cup all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup brown sugar- packed

¼ cup butter- softened

½ cup mashed ripe banana

3 tablespoons low fat buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 egg whites- from large eggs

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

1 tablespoon powdered sugar

Cooking spray- no flavor

 

Pre heat oven to 350F

Combine the raisins and rum in a microwave-safe bowl, Microwave at High for 1 min, and set aside. Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl, stirring well. Set aside. In a separate bowl, combine brown sugar and butter- beating until well blended. Add banana, buttermilk, vanilla and egg whites- beating well. Add the flour mixture, beating until just combined. Stir in raising mixture and walnuts.

Spread the batter into an 8-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350F for 30 min or until golden. Cool the bars completely on a wire rack. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

 

 

 

Spicy Peanut Butter Cookies

By Matthew Guarino

 

½ cup butter

½ cup peanut butter

½ cup sugar

½ cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp cream of tartar

½ tsp vanilla

1 ¼ cup flour

¾ tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

*for the coating;

½ cup cinnamon

1 cup granulated sugar

 

Cream Butter, Peanut butter, Sugars, Egg and Vanilla. Blend all the dry ingredients. Add to creamed ingredients. Shape into 1 inch balls and coat in cinnamon. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet- 1-2 inches apart.

Bake at 375F for 10-13 minutes

Cool- makes four dozen

 

 

 

Linzer Supremes

By Elizabeth Irwin

 

8 Tbs butter- softened

½ cup sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tsp. Grated lemon peel

1 tbs fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. Grated unsweetened baking chocolate

1 cup flour

½ cup hazelnuts- shelled – toasted- peeled and ground

½ cup almonds, shelled- toasted- peeled and ground

1 tsp cinnamon

¼ tsp cloves

1 cup raspberry jam

Optional garnish- powdered sugar.

 

Cream together butter and sugar, beat in one egg yolk, lemon peel and juice, and add chocolate. In a separate bowl, stir together flour, nuts and spices- then fold this into the butter mixture. Chill for at least one hour. Form dough into 1 inch balls and place on lightly buttered baking sheet- approximately 2 inches apart. Make shallow indentation in top of each ball. Bake in preheated oven at 375F for 10-12 minutes until lightly browned and slightly firm to the touch. When cool, fill indentations with jam.

Before serving sift powdered sugar over top.

 

 

 

Lemon filled Ginger Cookies

By Nyla Larsen

 

¾ cup Whole blanched almonds *about 4 oz but if ground ½ cup

½ tsp salt

2- 2 ½ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1 tsp cinnamon

1 ¾ cup unbleached all purpose flour

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup powdered sugar

2 tsp lemon zest

¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour.

Boil the almonds to remove the skins, place them on a baking sheet in a 325F oven spread out for about 15 min. Turn the oven off and let the almonds dry and cool in the oven, when cool, grind and set aside.

Mix butter and powdered sugar. Add salt, ginger, cinnamon, grated ginger, lemon zest, and mix. Add ground almonds and flours. Mix on low speed just until the dough comes together. Cover the dough and refrigerate 1 hour. Roll the dough to ¼ inch using flour on the surface and rolling pin. Cut into shapes using one shape cutter making an even number of cookies (one for the top and one for the bottom of a cookie sandwich). Place the shapes on parchment lined baking sheet and bake for about 13 min at 325F (pre-heated) our until lightly browned. Cool 5 min then remove from the baking sheet for the rest of the cooling.

 

Lemon Filling

½ cup butter

2 tsp lemon zest

1 ½ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice.

 

Using an electric mixer on medium, beat the butter, sugar, zest and juice until smooth. Spread bottom half of cookies with lemon filling – and top with another cookie to make a sandwich.

* bake the same day you will eat the cookies- or refrigerate/freeze to store.

 

 

 

Polenta- Limone Bottoni

This recipe for Little Polenta-Lemon Buttons- comes from an old Hebrew village in Tuscany.

By Jenny Machlin

 

1 cup unsalted butter- room temperature (two sticks)

2/3^rd cup sugar

2 tsp, grated lemon rind

1/2 tsp. Vanilla extract

2. 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/2 cup fine polenta (or cornmeal)

** For the Decoration I use about 1cup Demarara sugar (Coarse-grained dark brown sugar

 

Pre heat oven to 325F

Cream butter with sugar, lemon rind, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, whisk dry ingredients together. Beat into butter mixture with Mixer on low speed, just until well combined.

Drop by half-teaspoonfuls on ungreased cookie sheets (about 24 per sheet). Put demarara sugar in a small bowl. Butter the bottom of a juice glass, dip in the sugar, and use glass to lightly flatten each cookie to about 1/4 inch thick. *Dip glass in sugar after each cookie. Prick each cookie all the way through with a fork.

Bake about 8-10 minutes until cookies are pale gold. Cool on racks and enjoy!

 

 

 

Christmas Almond Triangles

 

By Valerie McGuire

 

1 pound butter- room temperature

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon almond extract

1 large egg

2 ¾ cups flour

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/3 cup honey

1/4 cup heavy cream

1 pound sliced almonds ** approximately 5 dry cups with or without skins

 

Line 15x10 inch jelly roll pan with foil. Beat together 1/2 pound butter, 1/2 cup sugar, salt and almond extract. Beat in egg, and then flour. Press dough into pan and push up sides. Refrigerate at least one hour. Heat oven to 375F. Prick with a fork and bake for 10 min.

In a saucepan, combine brown sugar, honey, the remaining ½ pound of butter and the remaining ¼ cup granulated sugar- and cook over low heart, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to a boil without stirring and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cream and almonds. Spread over crust. Bake until bubbling- about 10 to 15 minutes. – cool and cut into triangles.

 

 

Date Nut Pinwheels

By Carter Multz, MD

 

½ cup shortening- soft

1 cup brown sugar (packed)

1/3 cup sugar

1/3 cup water

1 egg

1 tbsp sweet or sour cream

½ tsp vanilla

1 ¾ cup enriched flour

½ tsp cream of tartar

1/8tsp salt

¾ pound moist pitted dates- cut up

 

Mix together shortening, brown sugar and one egg. Stir in sour cream and vanilla. Sift together Flour, baking soda, cream of tartar and salt.

For the filling – stir together over warm heat white sugar, water and dates- cook until slightly thick. Cool. Stir in finely chopped nuts.

 

Mix and divide into two parts. On waxed paper, roll each half into 11x7 rectangles. Drop small amounts of filling all over each rectangle, and gently spread the drops of filling to cover the rectangles. Beginning at the wide side, lifting the waxed paper, roll tightly and pinch edges into the roll. Chill several hours- or overnight.

Cut into ¼ inch slices. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Bake about 10min in a pre-heated 400F oven- or until lightly browned.

 

 

 

Ancient Lebkucken Cookies

By Angela Ortega- and the Ortega family kitchen

 

2 1/4 cups honey

3 pounds brown sugar

6 tsp coca (heaping)

1 ½ tsp nutmeg

1 ½ tsp cloves (ground)

3 tsp cinnamon

2 ¼ cups oil

3 tsp baking soda (dissolved in the hot coffee)

1½ cups coffee (hot)

6 tsp baking powder

9 eggs

2 tsp salt

3 tbsp vanilla

3 lbs walnuts (chopped)

2 lbs dried fruit (any variety chopped)

Flour ** as needed to make the dough stiff.

 

In a very large bowl Mix all dry ingredients together. Add oil, eggs, vanilla and coffee. Mix in nuts and fruit. Hand mix or mix with dough hook **not an electric mixer. Add flour as needed to stiffen the dough. Roll dough out to between ¼ and ½ inch thick and cut with favorite cookie cutters. Bake at 375F in a pre-heated oven for aprox 15 min- or until the edges are golden brown. Cool completely. ** The cookies get extremely hard. Place cookies in closed container for 3 weeks- until they soften up *like with holiday cake. * Plain slices of white sandwich bread can be placed in the container wit the cookies to accelerate the softening process. Cookies can them be frosted with your favorite frosting to serve- they only get better with time.

 

 

Ibarramos

Peanut Butter and Mexican Chocolate Chunk Cookies

By Brian Ramos

With Amy Vernon

 

1 bar of Ibarra Chocolate *aprox 3.1 oz

2 bars of Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate bars

1/8 tsp of cayenne pepper

 

Score and break off Ibarra wedges *there should be eight individual wedges. Grind in a food processor to a gritty powder consistency. In a bowl, add cayenne pepper to dry Ibarra powder and mix thoroughly with a fork. Melt Ghirardelli chocolate in a pot on low heat, stirring constantly. Do not let the chocolate burn! Once chocolate is melted, add and mix in the dry Ibarra & cayenne pepper mixture. Line an 8x8 pan with tinfoil, and be sure there is enough foil to hang over the sides of the pan. Pour the chocolate mixture into the pan. Tap the pan to settle the chocolate for an even consistency. Refrigerate for 30-45 min until chocolate is firm.

 

Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe:

½ cup shortening softened

½ cup butter

1 cup creamy peanut butter *do not use natural peanut butter

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 ½ cups all purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt.

 

In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a separate bowl, mix thoroughly the shortening, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and eggs. Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet mixture until everything is mixed thoroughly.

Remove chocolate from refrigerator, and leave at room temperature for about 5 min. After the 5 minutes, begin cutting the chocolate into approximately ¼ inch chunks. Knead in the chocolate chunks into the peanut butter dough. Cover and chill for about 20 min.

Preheat oven at 375F

Remove the cookie mixture from refrigerator. Shape dough into 1 inch balls. Place three inches apart on lightly greased baking sheet. Dip fork in flour and flatten cookie in crisscross pattern. Bake 10-12 minutes or until slightly golden- should make about 4 dozen.

 

 

 

Sugar Crisps Cookie

By Gail Rouleau Sherman and the Rouleau Family

 

1 cup butter – softened

1 cup sugar

Plus 3 tablespoons sugar

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon grated semi sweet chocolate

¼ teaspoon salt

1 ¼ teaspoon cinnamon/ divided

1 1.2 tablespoons grand Marnier

2 ½ cups flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

About ¾ cup finely chopped almonds *see below

 

Cream butter and sugar. Add Egg yolk, chocolate, ¼ teaspoon of the cinnamon and liqueur. Combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add dry to wet mixture combining to dough. Chill until firm enough to roll. Roll very think, cut into fancy shapes and transfer to a lightly greased cookie sheet. Top each cookie with about ½ teaspoon almonds, Mix remaining cinnamon with the 3 tablespoons of sugar- and then sprinkle over the cookies. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 350F for 10-12 min. Loosen at once with spatula and let stand on the cookie sheet until cool.

 

 

Mona Lisa Puncan Delights

 

By Lisa Simpson Johnson

1 cup butter

½ cup granulated sugar

½ cup brown sugar- firmly packed

1 cup pumpkin pie mix

2 eggs

1 tablespoon water

1 tsp. Vanilla

1 tsp Mandarin Orange Zest

4 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

11 oz or 1 package butterscotch Chips

1 cup pecan pieces

 

Cream together butter and sugars, then blend until light and fluffy. Add Pumpkin pie mix, Eggs, Water, vanilla and orange zest to creamed butter and sugar mixture. In a separate bowl Mix four, soda and salt – add in stages to the wet mixture. Fold in Butterscotch Chips and Pecan Pieces Chill dough at least 2 hours until stiff. When ready to bake; place rounded teaspoons of dough on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 375F for 10-12 minutes. Makes Aprox 5 Dozen Cookies.

 

 

 

Melomakarona Honey Cookie

By Katheine Skoulas

 

1 cup vegetable oil

3 oz cognac

½ cup orange juice

½ teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup flour

1 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 tablespoon orange zest

Additional flour- do not mix with other dry ingredients.

 

Mix all wet ingredients in a mixer until well blended.

Mix all dry ingredients by sifting twice. In a large bowl, combine the wet with the dry – add additional flour as needed to make a firm but soft dough.

Shape and place on a baking sheet –lined with paper. Bake in a 350F preheated oven for about 15-10 min. They should be golden brown. Let Cool.

Nuts- Walnuts, Pecans, Almonds, Macadamia and or Brazil nuts may be used. Toast nuts for 10 min on foil, in an oven at 350F, to bring out the flavor. Chop/crush and mix in Cinnamon.

 

Syrup

Mix two cups sugar and 2 ½ cups water. Boil 6 to 8 min and then add 1 cup honey. Dip cooled cookies into the warm syrup for about 1 to 1.5 minutes, turning once. Place on wired rack to dry. After dry- brush with a small amount to the syrup and sprinkle with chopped nuts and cinnamon.

 

Cucidati

Sicilian Fig Cookie from a Calabria bride

 

By Mary Stabile

 

Grind together

1 ½ pounds dried black mission figs

1 pound pitted prunes

1 pound dried apricots

1 pound pitted dates

½ pound raisins

1 standard size Hershey’s chocolate bar

1 cup walnuts *Almonds may be substituted.

 

Mix in

Juice from ½ lemon

1 small jar of strawberry jam

1 tsp cinnamon

 

Mix well and refrigerate at least 1- 2 days

** you may add ½ cup whiskey or brandy

 

Fig cookie Dough

½ cup butter

¼ cup white granulated sugar

3. eggs