Danish Butter Cookies

[Originally published Nov. 2010. Edited]

After I’d expressed a desire for homemade cookies several times, one evening my husband suddenly decided that we would make some (despite the lateness of the hour).  Was I ever glad he did!  We chose this recipe (the origin of which I no longer know) since I didn’t have any brown sugar at the time.  It is quite simple, but doesn’t make a lot of cookies.  One warning – once you’ve eaten these homemade Danish butter cookies you’ll probably never really like the store bought variety again!

Also, you might try adding some shredded coconut or dipping half of each cookie in chocolate coating to make them a bit fancier or to offer variety.  I think that you could refrigerate them and put them through a cookie press as well to make prettier shapes.  They taste great without any of this, though, so it may not be worth messing with!  Simpler is often better in my opinion. :-)

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1 C. butter
1 egg
1 C. sugar
1 tsp. almond extract  (or vanilla)
2 C. flour (or 1 C. white whole wheat and 1 C. white flour)
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

Cream butter and sugar together. Add egg and almond extract and mix. Whisk dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then add a little at a time to the butter mixture until it is all mixed in.

Roll into walnut size balls, place on an ungreased cookie sheet and flatten with a fork or spoon.  Sprinkle with colored sugar if desired.  Bake at 350F for about 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.  Allow to cool slightly on the sheet before moving to a rack.  Completely cool before storing in an airtight container.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Note: These cookies freeze well.

Quotes from Julia Child

 

You don't have to cook fancy or complicated masterpieces -- just good food from fresh ingredients.

Always remember: If you're alone in the kitchen and you drop the lamb, you can always just pick it up. Who's going to know?

If you're afraid of butter, use cream.

The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook.

I just hate health food.

You can always judge the quality of a cook or a restaurant by roast chicken ... We never seem to tire of chicken in our house, even though I have fed my husband upon it for weeks, even months at a time … I can go on eating chicken forever.

The French are interested in vegetables as food rather than as purely nutrient objects valuable for their vitamins and minerals.

With enough butter, anything is good.

Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need.

Never name a dish before you serve it. Your souffle falls in the oven? You’re now serving Fallen Souffle.

A party without cake is really just a meeting.

(Two of my favorites, so I’ll rerun them): 

How can a nation be great if its bread tastes like Kleenex?

It's so beautifully arranged on the plate — you know someone's fingers have been all over it.

(Quick and pretty – sliced papaya with half a kiwi and mint.
Be sure to peel both fruits.)

Random Acts of Blogging – (Sort of) Food Related Links

 

Here is a very interesting food chart that shows which herbs and spices go best with various foods, such as breads, poultry, vegetable, pasta, sauces, etc.  It looks like a good place to start for anyone wanting to add more herbs and spices to their cooking but who isn’t sure what to use with which foods.  Herbs and spices have many and varied health benefits.

Do you have a lot of trouble with stomach bugs?  Milk fat may be your best solution!  Yes, there’s a good reason why God refers to milk as good food for humans – including butter!  Isaiah 7:14-15  Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.  Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.

And, in case you decided not to use paper coffee filters any more and don’t know what to do with all the leftovers – here’s an easy craft project to do with kids:  Coffee Filter Flowers.

You can do a lot with mason jars.  I still think the best use for them is to fill them with tasty, homegrown goodness. :-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cherry Pound Cake

 

My husband made this for my birthday a few years ago.  It is one of **the best** cakes I have ever eaten.  Not low in sugar and a lot of (chemically altered) maraschino cherries are included, but – for once in a lifetime – it is SO good! :-)

Cherry Pound Cake

This link it so Taste of Home’s web page.  My copy is from one of the Reiman magazines and is in my recipe file. :-)

It made a thick, lovely batter…

…and a beautiful, golden cake.

The imperfections were not a problem because they covered by the lovely pink frosting – which my husband applied very carefully. :-)

Such a beautiful, yummy cake!

The cake was so rich we ended up cutting the slices quite thin and we got a lot of slices from one cake.  We froze part of them and they did really well.  I think I sliced it (perhaps after refrigeration), put a slip of waxed paper between each slice to help them stay separate and froze the slices in a plastic sealing container.

Caramelized Pecans

I found this recipe on the internet and then made my own adjustments to it.  It was a hit with my family!
1 Tbl. butter
1 heaping Tbl. brown sugar
1 tsp. white sugar
3/4 C. pecans
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
A pinch of salt
Pre-measure all ingredients.  You will need to add the sugars, nuts, etc. quickly before the butter browns.
Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.  Add sugar, cinnamon and nuts and increase heat to medium-high.  Stir constantly until sugar loses its grainy appearance – about 5 minutes.  Pour nuts onto sheet of aluminum foil and let cool about 15 minutes.  Store in an airtight container.
These nuts are very good added to a salad of lettuce and fresh strawberries with a sweet-sour dressing!

Fast Method Baklava

Here is a recipe for baklava that does not require the tedious method of layering butter and fillo dough sheet by sheet.  This is the only kind I’ve ever made and it always turns out well.  It is a family favorite!

I recommend making the syrup ahead of time, but if you do not remember, be sure to let the baklava cool completely before pouring the warm syrup over it.  Either the syrup or the baklava should be warm, but never both according to what I read.  For large batches of baklava it is recommended to let it cool first and put the warm syrup on later.  I have done it both ways, and they both work.
Some recipes call for unsalted butter, but I’ve used salted most of the time and it tasted fine.  The recipe below is actually a combination of two different recipes.  This is approximately how I made it the last time.
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1 pk. of fillo dough (about 20 – 30 sheets)
1 lb. butter, melted and with the solids skimmed off the top
3 - 4 C. ground walnuts (or pecans or unsalted pistachios)
1/2 C. sugar
2 Tbl. melted butter (I just take this out of the amount melted above.)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Honey Syrup
Preheat oven to 450F.  Brush 9 x 13 x 2-inch cake pan with butter.  Place half the fillo dough in the pan (about 10-15 sheets).  Spread all of filling mixture evenly over it.  Cover with remaining half of fillo sheets.  Cut into diamond shapes* using a good, sharp knife.  Spoon the melted (or clarified) butter over it making sure to  get it in all the cut lines and around the edges.  NOTE: Do not use the milky stuff in the bottom of the pan – only the clearer, golden colored part that looks like oil.
Bake in 450F oven for 8 minutes.  Turn off the oven and leave the baklava in the oven for 45 more minutes.  Do not open the oven during this time.
Remove from oven and spoon cooled syrup on the hot baklava making sure to cover all areas including around the edges, as with the butter.  It may be necessary to re-cut the baklava before removing it from the pan.
Honey Syrup
2/3 C. honey
1/3 C. sugar
3/4 C. water
Juice from 1 lemon
3 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick, 3 inches long
Mix honey, sugar, water and spices in saucepan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil.  Add lemon juice and cook for about 15 minutes over medium heat.  Remove from heat and cool completely.  Remove cloves and cinnamon before spooning over baklava.
You may increase or reduce the syrup based on your preferences.

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*To cut baklava into diamond shapes, cut straight lines across the 9” width of the pan.  Then cut diagonal lines from the end of one horizontal cut to the end of another on the opposite side of the pan going in a straight line.  Here is a link to a page that shows a slightly different cutting pattern, but it’s the same idea, and hopefully it will help.  If you don’t feel confident of this, just cut it in smallish squares. 
The diamond pattern tends to make some rather large pieces, so recently I’ve cut mine into triangles and squares instead.  If you do triangles try not to cut them too small as it can make them hard to handle when you remove them from the pan.

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Note: If you do not have whole cloves or cinnamon, you may put in ground.  The cloves would probably be about 1/4 tsp. and the cinnamon 2 tsp.  This is an estimate since I haven’t done this.  But, it will make your baklava darker.  The point in using it whole is to get the taste without the color.  It’s mostly an appearance thing, I think.
If you want to buy whole cloves or cinnamon but the price at your local grocery is prohibitive, I suggest checking out an Indian grocery store or food shop.  A lot of larger cities have them, and we have gotten whole cloves and cinnamon at such places for much better prices that can usually be found in regular grocery stores.  You may find other herbs and spices that you use cheaper there as well.  Also, if you have an electric coffee grinder, you can easily grind up the whole cloves or cinnamon into powder if you want to later.  Just be sure to clean the grinder well after using it for spices or herbs.  (My mom actually keeps two – one for coffee and one for herbs and such.  She watches for coffee grinders at second hand stores.)