Pfeffernuesse

It is time for my last post of 2018 and I have chosen one of my all time favorite cookies: pfeffernuesse! I first picked up a bag of these years ago from the store on a whim. I wanted to try something new and they looked similar to gingerbread. They are not gingerbread but now I have to pick up a bag every year. This year I decided to try my hand at it.

 I found the recipe in a 1948 cookbook published by the Green County Homemakers. It is filled with recipes for countries that settled Green County, Wisconsin.

 Such wonderful drawings throughout!

 Thank you for such an easy to follow recipe, Mrs. Keen. Promised to make 'a-plenty.'

 With a more than 9 cups of flour, this better make a lot! I decided to keep to the recipe and went on the hunt for lard. Not too difficult to find but now I have half a tub of lard still.

 The sugar and lard creamed together easily but separated once I added the coffee. It did not look appealing!

 I am hoping that adding the dry ingredients help pull everything together...

 This is some thick dough! But also a bit sticky. It was kind of hard to make lovely round cookies. Some may have come out a bit jagged.

 I only take pictures of the pretty ones.

 Have I mentioned how much I love the smell of cookies baking? It fills my house!

 And now for the finishing touch, powdered sugar!

 Mrs. Keen was correct. It made a-plenty!

These are so yummy! I usually get the iced pfeffernuesse but these beat them out by a long shot.

Usually I try to pick cookies that sound interesting or unusual but it was fun to jump into something more traditional. I was a bit leery about using lard... It turned out fantastic. Tastes just like the holidays!

My Rating: A Keeper! But I make half the recipe next year.

Friends and Family Rating: I haven't heard any comments but they are always missing from the office cookie tray.

Have a Fantastic Holiday and Happy New Year!

Honey Butter Cookies

One of my holiday traditions is to bake a ton of different cookies and share them with friends and coworkers. Sometimes I take requests (snickerdoodles are a favorite) but most of the time I just meander through cookbooks and pick what interests me. I have lots of holiday pamphlets to choose from! It appears to be a very popular thing to do.

This cool little one was published by Employers Mutuals of Omaha but does not have a date. I am guessing 1950s. The recipes are separated by country and filled with great illustrations!

 I chose this Dutch cookie since I had all ingredients on hand. You can make many different cookies with powdered sugar, nuts, and butter!

 Ta Da! I used walnuts this time because minus the honey, it is very similar to my Russian Tea Cakes and those use pecans. Gotta mix it up!

 Mixing it up! again...

 The dough is very thick so you really have to use muscles to mix in the nuts. Wine helps too.

 So cute! And so similar to other cookies.

 I had this adorable cookie press that I received for Christmas one year so I had to use it! The bottom of my drinking glasses were no fun.

 Looking delicious even before the powdered sugar! My kitchen smells so good.

 A light shower of powdered sugar complete them!

 Tiny buttery goodness!!!

I made these smaller than usual in order to share more. Easy to make with ingredients you probably have one hand! I don't know how 'Dutch' these actually are but they are delicious! As I said before they are very similar to other cookies from around the world such as Russian tea cakes (my all time favorite) and Mexican wedding cakes.

My Rating: Delicious and easy! Definitely going to make again!

Friends and Family Rating: No one has said anything but they are one of the first cookies gone on the office cookie tray, after the chocolate cookies of course.

White Fruit Cake

It is the Holiday Season! Time for everyone to argue about whether or not egg nog is delicious (it is!) and to bad mouth fruit cake, even if they have never tasted a fruit cake in their life. I grew up on stories about the dreaded Fruit Cake, doomed to spend its entire existence being passed from family to family and never eaten. This year I decided to see if it was as terrible as I was told.

 In my wonderful Christmas Cookies pamphlet from the Wisconsin Gas & Electric Company, I found 2 entire pages with fruit cake recipes. I decided to go with one that did not require any alcohol and seemed relatively light...ish.

 I also decided that this would make a fantastic Holiday gift for all the fruit cake haters. This great chart came in handy.

 In my excitement I may have forgotten to take photos of the ingredients so this is the best I got. Tons and tons of candied fruits that I had to chop up into smaller pieces. Fun times. But not really. Most candied fruit comes in a mixture so it took a little bit of hunting to get everything.

 Creaming butter is always a beautiful start to baking!

 I could not find blanched almonds but I figured this wouldn't mess things up too much.

 Soo much fruit!

 Adding a dusting of flour is crucial!

 There is not a lot of batter in this mix. I was a bit concerned.

 I love these little baking containers. Perfect gift-sized!

 Even though I was concerned, they baked up perfectly!

My kitchen smells wonderful! It made to sad to wrap them up and set them aside. So they have been sitting all wrapped up tightly in a cool dark place until...now! Most have gone on to their holiday homes but I did keep one to try. It is surprisingly good! And very figgy. I tried to slice it but that did not work. It was easier to eat it with a spoon. After such a fantastic beginning I may have to try to make a few others on that page.

My Rating: Delicious! Full of fruit so it's healthy, right?

Friends and Family Rating: Still waiting to hear back...I will update you later!

Almond Layer Pie

Sorry for such the long delay! Things have been crazy around here getting ready for the holidays. Thank you for everyone who has asked about the blog. Although I started it to help me keep track of the recipes I've tried and any modifications that I did or need to do next time. I'm so happy others are enjoying my baking adventures!

I normally do not try anything before the 1930's. The recipes have strange directions if they have directions at all and I am not that adventurous.This seemed doable and just odd enough to catch my eye. The book is A Calendar of Dinners with 615 Recipes written by Marion Harris Neil and published in 1925 by Proctor & Gamble.

The joy of Crisco!

Has anyone heard of a layer pie? I haven't.

 Easy simple ingredients. Just had to buy the ground almonds. I am not sure why I had a lemon...

 The pastry came together easily but I still have problems rolling out the crust.

The first lemon almond cream layer.

 And the second layer!

 Naturally my pie will not be the prettiest but lets see how it tastes after baked in a moderate oven (375F).

 Turned out rather nice. And look at those lovely layers! I thought that the center layer of pastry would just melt into the filling but it didn't.

This was a delicious easy pie. It is unique and kind of fancy looking! You do not need to add any toppings, just let the layers shine. The filling turned thick with almost a custard-like consistency and more lemony that I had anticipated.

My Rating: Yum! Good for the next dinner party.

Friends and Family Rating: "Delicious."