Mondchens

Despite all appearances I have not been a slacker lately. I promise! I actually have done quite a bit of cooking but it is taking a while to actually type it up. And I have too many craft projects that I am working on. Working on some sewing. Taking care of some plants. Baking and thinking about posting it. This recipe is from the Wisconsin Gas & Electric Company's Christmas Cookies pamphlet. I was looking for a way to use some of my huge, expensive bag of ground almonds. I have never heard of these cookies and a quick search online showed nothing. If anyone else has heard of them, let me know!

Another easy to follow recipe. I love this pamphlet!

 Yes, I used dried lemon rind. I had it on hand and needed to use it.

 The dough was very, very soft. Not certain if I can roll this out...

 Looks so pretty! But I still have my doubts.

 As I thought, the dough was way too soft. I decided to chill it for an hour, which helped but not a whole lot. I gave up trying to roll it out and just create my own circles.

They are round-ish...

 I don't know if I made them too thin but 12 minutes was way too long. Half the cookies ended up burnt. I kept a close eye on the next batch and it looks like 9 minutes was the longest before burning. Yes, the pan is missing one. Yes, I ate it.

 I decided to ice only half of the cookies because they tasted pretty good on their own even the burnt ones. But icing the burnt ones helped to salvage them. This recipes did not make as many cookies as I though it would.

 I also iced some non-burnt ones!

These cookies had an almost gritty texture but not in a bad way. It's difficult to explain. They were very light and practically fell apart in your mouth. They were delicious both without the icing and with the icing. I would chose to ice them as that seemed to put the finishing touch on them. I was disappointed in how soft the dough was. I would make them again for the flavor if the dough was easier to handle. I attempted to look mondchens up online to see what I could do differently but I couldn't find anything on them. If anyone knows anything, I'd love to hear about it.

My Rating: Delicious but a pain to make.

Friends and Family Rating: "Yum!" "I like the iced ones better."

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."