Fluchtlings Pletzchen

Preheat oven 325 degrees

250 grams (9 oz) butter
100 grams (3.5 oz) confectioners' sugar
250 grams (9 oz) cornstarch
2 pkg vanilla sugar (if you make your own, 2 Tablespoons)
100 grams (3.5 oz) flour

In a food processor, combine butter and sugars, zap until well mixed.
Open top and add flour and cornstarch. Process well. It will form a ball of dough.
Remove dough, form into log about 2" in diameter. Refrigerate for 2 hrs.
Slice 1/4" thick, place 1" apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
Using a fork, press on each cookie leaving marks.
Bake for 12-14 minutes or until slightly brown on edges.

Very flakey, melts in your mouth.
Variation: I made a batch that I added 2 teaspoons of almond extract.
Another batch I added 2 teaspoons of rum extract.
Extracts were added at end while mixture is processing into a ball.
Both were great!
ENJOY

Cookie update

Yesterday I spent the day with my friend baking cookies! We had a great time sharing recipes and tasting!
I tried the Orange Coconut Macaroons, posted a few days ago. This was my mother's recipe and the first time I made it. GREAT! A must try! Also it is so fast to make. I used organic unsweetened coconut flakes and it was plenty sweet! The tiny pieces of almond paste gives a great taste mixture. So hard to describe, you must try it yourself.
I also had a package of spice mix for German spice cake. I didn't feel like making a cake so my friend found a recipe for ginger cookies. We replaced the powdered ginger with the package of spices, still used chopped pieces of ginger candy, and came out with yummy cookies. I will get the recipe from her and find a source for the spices, then I will publish the recipe. Watch for it!
Also made a German cookie called Fluchtlings Pletzchen. Once I translate the grams to ounces, I'll publish this too.
Hope you are all enjoying the holiday baking and we can all share new memories in 2010.
Merry Christmas
Happy New Year

DelectaBites

1/2 cup butter
2 T. sugar
2 packages vanilla sugar (available in European market places)
1 cup flour
1 cup chopped walnuts

Thoroughly mix first 3 ingredients. Stir in flour and walnuts. Chill for about 1/2 hour. Shape into marble size balls and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes or until light brown. While still hot, roll in confectioners' sugar.

Orange Yummies

1 cup margarine
1/2 c. sugar
1 egg yolk
2 T. orange juice
2-1/4 c. flour
1 T. orange rind, finely chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a mixing bowl, cream margarine and sugar. Beat in egg yolk and orange juice. Mix in flour, orange rind and optional pecans. Mix until combined. Dough should be soft, but not sticky.
Option 1: place dough in cookie press and press desired shape onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Option 2: take teaspoon full of cook dough, roll into ball and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Press down with thumb. Cookies should be 1/2" apart.
Bake 10-12 minutes or until edges are lightly browned. Cool 2 minutes on cookie sheet, then remove to cooling rack.
Yield: 5 dozen

Aunt Doris' Apple Pie

In our family, Aunt Doris is the pie expert! Family gatherings are not complete without one of her apple pies. And now I can share it with all of you. Hope this recipe becomes part of your family memories.

Preheat oven 425 degrees

Pie crust:
2 cups flour
1/2  tsp salt
1/2 cup canola oil (or vegetable oil of your choice)
4 T. cold milk

Mix together above ingredients and form a ball. If too moist, add a little more flour. Cut in 1/2 and roll each half between 2 pieces of waxed paper. Use 8" or 9" pie dish.

Filling:
6 apples (McIntosh, granny smith, empire)
2 tsp. lemon juice
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. flour
2 T. margarine

Pare, peel and slice apples. Sprinkle apples with lemon juice. Mix 1 cup sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg with apples. Spray bottom of pie tin lightly with oil. Place bottom pie crust in pie pan and sprinkle 1 T. flour on pie crust. Put apples in and dot with 2 T. margarine. Put top crust on and prick top of pie crust with fork.

Bake 40 - 50 minutes.

Margaret's Quark Stollen (Cottage Cheese Stollen)

This is an old German recipe. I put the conversion in parenthesis ( ). If you can weigh the ingredients it is a good idea to do so because weighing is the most accurate way to measure baking ingredients. Think about this, if you measure cups of flour, it can be variable depending on if the flour is packed down or not. There are also measuring cups with grams, sold in most cooking specialty stores. They are cone shaped and so easy to use.

Here is a really yummy recipe. No one would ever guess the ingredient of cottage cheese.

1 lb. (4 cups) flour
2 eggs
200 gr (7 oz) sugar
250 gr (9 oz) butter
2 T. rum extract
200 gr. (7 oz) raisins
250 gr. (9 oz) cottage cheese, NOT creamed.
1 tsp. grated lemon rind
1/4 lb. (1 cup) finely grated almonds
100 gr. (3.5 oz) candied fruits
4 level tsps. baking powder

Cream the butter and sugar, then add the eggs. Strain cottage cheese until most of liquid is removed. Press cottage cheese through a sieve to make it smooth. (I used a food processor, zapped it 2 or 3 times) Add cottage cheese to butter mixture. Add rum extract and lemon rind. Mix well. Mix flour and baking powder together. Add to above mixture. Knead dough until your hands are clean (not sticky). Coat almonds and fruits with a tsp. of flour. Add to dough and knead well to mix in fruit.
Split dough into two parts. Flatten dough for each loaf. Should be an oval shape. Melt a table spoon of butter and brush on top of each piece. Fold each piece in half and place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake one hour at 350 degrees.

Allow to cool. Can be coated with confectioners' sugar when completely cooled. Or you can make a glaze with confectioners' sugar and lemon juice.

Ginger Spice Cookies

8 T. butter
1 cup sugar
1 large egg (or equal of egg beaters)
1/2 cup molasses
4 cups flour
1 T. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. ground ginger
1/2 cup milk
2 T. candied ginger, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Cream butter and sugar. Add egg, beat well. Add molasses, beat well. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg & ginger. Add to wet mixture, one cup at a time, alternating with milk. Mix well after each addition. Stir in candied ginger pieces.

Drop by teaspoon fulls onto cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or teflon sheet.
Bake 10-12 minutes.

Orange Coconut Macaroons

3/4 cup sugar
1 T. orange zest
1 tsp. fresh orange juice
4-1/2 oz. almond paste
2 large egg whites
1/3 cup confectioners' sugar
3 T. flour
1-1/3 cup coconut flakes (I used natural, unsweetened)
3/4 tsp. coarse salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees

Process sugar, orange zest and almond paste in food processor until combined, about 3 minutes.
Add egg whites, orange juice, confectioners' sugar, flour, half the coconut flakes, and salt.
Process one minute. Stir in remaining coconut flakes.
Line cookie sheet with parchment paper. Drop batter by teaspoonful 2" apart.
Bake for 25 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
Slip cookies off the sheet ON the parchment paper and allow to cool on the paper.

Yield: 3 dozen

Easy Cranberry Pie Cake

2 cups frozen cranberries, thawed
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup (1-1/2 sticks) butter or margarine, melted and cooled
1 c sugar
1 c flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put the cranberries, pecans, 1/2 cup sugar, into a greased, 10" springform pan or a pie plate.
Mix eggs, butter, 1 cup sugar, flour, salt and almond extract. Stir the batter until it is smooth and pour it over the cranberry/pecan mixture. Bake about 40 minutes, or until a tester comes out clean.

Makes 6 or 8 slices

Sour Cream Drops

1 cup margarine
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup fat free sour cream
4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. nutmeg
1-1/2 cups chopped nuts of your choice

Preheat oven 350 degrees

Cream margarine and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla and sour cream. Beat well.
Stir together all your dry ingredients. Add to creamed mixture, one cup at a time, stirring well after each cup.
Drop by teaspoon full on ungreased cookie sheet or teflon lined cookie sheet, about 1 inch apart. Bake for 15 minutes.
Yield: 6-7 dozen

Christmas Cookies from the past

I started this blog in 2008 and I have other Christmas cookie recipes writen then, so check out the December 2008 entries.
Cookies bring back memories of our childhood. Watching Mom rolling out the cookie dough, using cookie cutters to make yummy sugar cookies. Decorating the cookies! And the best part, tasting! Of course I couldn't resist tasting before baking. The pieces of dough between the cut-outs... oh so good! And Mom would tell me not to do this, it would cause a stomach ache, but that didn't matter to me.
Then when my children were baking with me, I smiled as I saw them eat the raw dough. Of course I had to give the standard warning. Didn't help....
As the years go on, we make our own memories. Some with Mom's cookies, then we have found our own recipes to add to the list. The best of all of these I share with you. Maybe they can become part of your family memories too.

Surprise Kisses

4 egg whites
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 pkg semisweet cholocate pieces
1 cup chopped walnuts (or nuts of your choice)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Beat egg whites and salt until frothy. Beat in cream of tartar, adding 2 T of sugar at a time, beating well after each addition, until stiff peaks form. Fold in chocolate pieces, nuts and vanilla extract.
Drop by teaspoon full on ungreased, paper lined cookie sheet, 1/2" apart. If you have a teflon sheet, use this in place of the paper lining.
Bake at 325 degrees. Remove when still warm onto cooling racks.
Enjoy!
This is one of the family favorites baked by my mother.

Oma's Pound Cake

4 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2-1/4 cups sugar
1-1/4 cups skim milk
6 eggs
1 pkg. vanilla sugar (check my recipe for vanilla sugar)
1/2 lb. plus 1 T. butter or margarine
1 tsp. lemon extract (variation: almond extract)

Cream butter and sugar until smooth. Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla sugar. Alternately add flour and milk, mixing thoroughly after each addition. Add extract, stir.
Pour into greased/floured loaf pan, filling half way. Makes 2 loaves.
Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes. Use cake tester.

Variation:
Marble pound cake: Take half of the batter and add 1T. cocoa powder. Stir well. Pour this mixture between two layers of plain batter. Take a knife and pull knife through center of cake (the long way). Creates a nice visual, outside and inside.

Recipe from my mother, Gertrud Wunder

Oma's Waffles

1 stick margarine
1 1/2 T. sugar
3 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. rum extract
1 c. flour
1/2 cup cornstarch
1 tsp. baking powder
9 oz. milk
1 T. light sour cream

Cream margarine, sugar, eggs. Mix together flour, cornstarch, baking powder. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk to creamed mixture. Mix sour cream, vanilla and rum extracts. Add to dough mixture. Heat waffle iron (griddle). Bake until brown. Serve as a breakfast waffle or as a dessert waffle.

Pumpernickel Dip

2/3 c. light mayonnaise
2/3 c. light sour cream
1 T. parsley flakes
1 T. onion flakes
1 tsp. dill seed
1 tsp. celery salt
1 tsp. garlic salt

Mix together above ingredients and refrigerate. Cut center out of round pumpernickel. Cut into cubes. Spoon dip into pumpernickel. Use cubes for dipping.

Spice Cranberry Sauce

1 c. sugar
6 whole cloves
juice and rind of 2 oranges (substitute 1 cup commercial orange juice and 2 T. dried orange peel)
1 stick cinnamon
2 c. fresh whole cranberries
Sort and wash cranberries. Moisten sugar with orange juice. Add chopped rind. Boil 5 minutes. Add spices and cranberries. Cook until cranberries burst. Remove spices, cool and serve.

Quick Crumb Cake

Grease and flour jelly roll pan.

1 box yellow cake mix
Prepare batter according to box directions. Spread onto jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Crumbs:
3 sticks of melted margarine
1 c. sugar
3 cups flour
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. cinnamon

Mix well and crumble over hot cake. Bake again at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Sprinkle confectionery sugar over cake when cooled. For thicker crumbs, double crumb recipe.

Garlic Soup

Yes, garlic soup! It is so delicious and SO healthy! When I lived in Arizona, I made this all the time. Garlic grows very well there. I grew my own in the backyard, planted in October, harvested in May. And during the winter I cut the growth on top for salads.

Serves 4-6
1 head garlic
1-1/2 quarts chicken stock
4 oz. stale country bread (2 or 3 days old), crusts removed
salt and pepper
2 large carrots, chopped fine in food processor
2 celery stalks, chopped fine in food processor
Optional garnishes: green garlic leaves, cut very thin, or shredded basil leaves

Peel the garlic and poach the cloves in 2 cups chicken stock. While this is cooking, saute carrots and celery in 1 T. olive oil. In 10 to 15 minutes, when garlic is completely soft,puree stock and garlic in blender. Meanwhile, cube the bread. Soak in warm water until very soft, about 10 minutes. Squeeze out excess water, and crumble the bread.
Add the garlic puree and carrot/celery mix to the remaining broth, and whisk in the softened, crumbled bread. Season with salt and pepper and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with garlic or basil leaves.

I usually double the recipe if I have company, they always ask for seconds!

Cheese Cake, Again

In a very large bowl, combine the following:
1 lb. ricotta cheese
1 lb. cream cheese
4 eggs
½ lb. butter (melted in a saucepan, let cool)
1 ½ cups sugar

Mix well – high speed on mixer, approx. 15 min.

Fold in (one at a time)
2 T. lemon juice
4 T. flour
4 T. corn starch
1 tsp. vanilla

Spoon in 16 oz. sour cream. Mix well.

Grease 10 inch spring form pan.

Bake at 325 degrees for one hour. Turn oven off and leave in oven for two more hours. DO NOT OPEN OVEN AT ANY TIME. Enjoy! From a hand written recipe I found in an old cookbook. It’s a real old fashion cheese cake recipe.

Sour Cream Pound Cake

2-3/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter or margarine
6 eggs
3 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp. orange extract
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

In a mixer bowl, cream together sugar and butter or margarine till light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Combine flour, salt and soda. Add to creamed mixture, alternately with sour cream, beating after each addition. Add extracts and vanilla; beat well. Pour batter into greased and floured 10-inch tube pan. Bake in 350 degrees oven for 1-1/2 hours or till cake tests done. Cool 15 minutes; remove from pan. When cool, frost or sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, if desired.

Bread Pudding

6 eggs, separated
6 cups milk
1 T. vanilla extract
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 pound left over bread, cut into 1" cubes (8 cups loosely packed) I mix different breads
1/2 stick butter, cut into small pieces
1/2 cup raisins

Combine the egg yolks, milk, vanilla, 3/4 cup of the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Place the bread pieces in a large 10-cup rectangular baking pan or casserole dish. Pour the yolk and milk mixture over the bread and let it sit for about 30 minutes, mashing the bread occasionally with a fork. Add raisins, stir until mixed.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.

Beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into bread mixture. Dot the top of the mixture with the butter. Place the pan in a larger pan and fill the larger dish with enough water to come up halfway on the bread pan or casserole dish. Bake for 1-1/2 hours, or until the pudding sets and a knife comes out clean. Remove the pudding from the oven.

Apple Pancakes

1 1/2 cups flour
3 T. sugar
3 eggs
1 cup milk
4 T. melted butter
1 T. vanilla extract
1 large apple, peeled, cored, thinly sliced

Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet ingredients in another bowl. Add dry to wet, blend well. Fold in apple slices. Cook as you would any other pancake.

Recipes from Macy's Home Centre

I found this in an old cookbook, along with some newspaper clippings. Since I spent most of my life in New York, this was like finding a touch of home. I spent many Saturdays shopping in Macy's with my mother. The used to have a Home Centre (that's how it was spelled in the 50's) and they had many imported foods, the latest kitchen appliances and gadgets. They also had a restaurant and sometime I got a special treat and mom and I had lunch there.

So here's a recipe from Macy's, in the 1950's. To the right is the copy of the actual paper I found. Below is the recipe, in case you can't read this.
P.S. If anyone can tell me how to put a pdf file in blogs, please email me.
thank you.

Cream Cheese Pastry for Tarts and Turnovers (my comments red)

1/2 cup butter
1/2 lb. cream cheese
2 cups flour
1/2 tsp. salt

Blend cheese and butter together. Add salt to the flour and work in flour with a blender (pastry blender or I would use a food processor). Add a little ice water or a little cold milk if you need to use up flour. Form into a ball wrap in waxed paper and chill a few hours or over night in a refrigerator.

Tarts

Roll cream cheese pastry out thin. Cut with a cooky or tart cutter. Fit over a tart pan or a muffin tin. Bake at 450 degrees about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the pan, turn upright and cool. Fill with any jam, jelly, stewed fruit, fruit sauce or cut up bananas. Top with a glaze or whipped cream. Any jelly melted slowly will make a good glaze..

Gertrude Gallian, Director of the Home Centre
Housewares Basement

Apple Crumble

A newspaper clipping found in an old cookbook. I couldn't find a date on the clipping, however, mention of rations leads me to believe this is during World War II.

"Here is a dessert in which part of the sweetening is done with honey. Desserts such as this will make your sugar ration go farther.
Peel and core apples, slice and measure four cups. Place these slices in the bottom of a well greased shallow baking dish. Sprinkle one-fourth cup of sugar over the slices, then add two teaspoons of lemon juice and one-half cup of honey.
Combine one-half cup of flour, three tablespoons of brown sugar, a dash of salt and three tablespoons of butter. Work this mixture until it is crumbly.
Sprinkle over the top of the apples and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 30 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the crumbs are lightly browned. Serve warm with thick cream."