The famous test kitchens at Spy World Headquarters have been a veritable beehive of activity this week. There has been a flash mob of publishers, editors and artists flinging flour, dropping cookie sheets, confusing baking soda with baking powder all in the name of research. We have been baking Christmas cookies and holiday treats of every variety – particularly those that we remember from childhood. Dave Wheelan and Andy Goddard have revealed a few of their secret family recipes. We’ve gone through quite few glasses of milk testing these recipes, because we want to be sure you have only the very best to leave out for Santa this year. Don’t forget the carrots for the reindeer! (Organic from Chestertown Natural Foods are preferred, or so we have heard from some of our reliable sources.)
Andy’s Pfamous Pfeffernuse
The recipe is actually MFK Fisher’s. It makes quite a bit, but the cookies keep forever and the recipe is easily halved. The dough is quite stiff, needs strong arms, and as Fisher says…”perhaps should not be planned for the dark of the moon.” I have no idea of quantity – but I imagine this will feed a small army of elves.
These should be made a week or two ahead of time and put in tightly closed container with a few slices of apple in each to keep cookies from getting hard. This is one cookie that actually tastes better over time, and nothing like those awful store bought things.
1 pint corn syrup
1 pint dark molasses
½ pound (2 sticks) butter, melted
½ cup lemon juice, preferably fresh squeezed
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 scant teaspoons ground cloves
2 ½ pounds all purpose flour (half of a 5-pound bag!)
½ pound citron, or some kind of candied fruit
½ pound unblanched almonds
Rind of 1 large or 2 small lemons
Warm syrups together, add butter and lemon juice. Place in large bowl
In separate bowl, sift baking soda and spices with flour, add gradually to liquids.
Put citron, almonds and lemon peel in food processor- pulse gently, do not pulverize! Add to flour mixture.
Blend thoroughly. Should be very stiff, add more flour, if necessary.
Let the mixture stand overnight in cool place with plastic covering.
In the morning, roll the dough with your hands into marble-sized balls, and place on well-greased cookie sheets.
Bake 350°F for about 20 minutes
If you wish to glaze them, roll them in glaze while warm and place separately on waxed paper, let cool and place in tightly closed containers. Otherwise let cool and place in containers.
Glaze
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
2 tablespoon boiling water (keep more handy to correct consistency)
1 teaspoon vanilla – optional
Melt all in double boiler and keep hot
Here is another one of Andy’s favorites from M.F.K. Fisher. (They apparently are both fond of molasses)
Brandy Snaps
1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
½ cup molasses, light or dark depending on whether you want delicate or strong flavor
½ cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Sift flour
Combine molasses, butter and sugar – heat until sugar dissolves.
Place liquid in large bowl, add lemon rind and juice, flour. Mix well.
Drop by teaspoon on greased baking sheet , leave plenty of room for cookies to spread.
425°F oven for about 5 minutes
While still warm, loosen cookies and roll over wooden spoon handle.
Makes about four dozen.
These are recipes that have been pried from the Wheelan Family Archives. Please devour them with great joy and thanks!
Delicious Bars
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ cup softened butter
¼ cup white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 egg, separated
1 ½ teaspoon water
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 6-oz. package chocolate chips (semi-sweet)
½ cup brown sugar, firmly packed
Pre-heat oven to 375°F. Grease 13” x 9” baking dish. Sift together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder. Cream butter. Add ¼ cup white and ¼ cup brown sugar, and mix until very light and fluffy. Add egg yolk, water and vanilla. Thoroughly mix in flour mixture. Spread evenly into baking dish. Cover with chocolate chips. Beat egg white until stiff; gradually add ½ cup brown sugar, until meringue consistency. Spread meringue over chocolate very gently. Bake 25-30 minutes. Cut into bars while warm. Cool in baking dish.
Surprise Crackles
2 squares unsweetened chocolate
¼ cup softened butter
1 cup sifted flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
Confectioners sugar
Melt chocolate and butter together over low heat (or in double boiler). Cool to lukewarm. Sift flour, salt, baking powder; set aside. Add sugar, eggs and vanilla to chocolate mixture, and mix thoroughly. Add flour mixture to chocolate mixture. Dough will be soft. Chill overnight, or until you can shape into small balls. Roll balls in confectioners sugar to coat completely. Place on greased baking sheet, 2-3 inches apart. Bake at 350°F on center rack of oven for 10-12 minutes.
Use ½ teaspoon dough for 7 dozen cookies
Use 1 teaspoon dough for 4 dozen cookies
Ho-ho-ho!
“It seems to me that our three basic needs, for food and security and love, are so mixed and mingled and entwined that we cannot straightly think of one without the others. So it happens that when I write of hunger, I am really writing about love and the hunger for it, and warmth and the love of it and the hunger for it… and then the warmth and richness and fine reality of hunger satisfied… and it is all one.”
-M.F.K. Fisher, The Art of Eating
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