Butterscotch Thumbprints

(A takeoff of the chocolate thumbprint recipe from the last blog entry)

There's a holiday air to these nut-rich cookies with their gay tinted centers.

1/2 cup soft shortening (part butter)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sifted bread flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350º.
Mix well shortening, brown sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla.
Mix flour and salt and stir in.
Roll 1 teaspoon dough into balls.
Dip in slightly beaten egg white and roll in finely chopped nuts (about 3/4 cup) or granulated sugar.
Place on baking sheet and press thumb into center of each.
Bake 10-12 minutes.
Fill cooled thumbprints with tinted confectioner's sugar icing, candied cherries, or jelly.

Makes about 3 dozen

Chocolate Thumbprint Cookies

There's a holiday air to these nut-rich cookies with their gay tinted centers.

1/2 cup soft shortening (part butter)
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 square unsweetened chocolate (1 oz.), melted
1 cup sifted bread flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350º.
Mix well shortening, sugar, egg yolk, vanilla, and melted chocolate.
Mix flour and salt and stir in.
Roll 1 teaspoon dough into balls.
Dip in slightly beaten egg white and roll in finely chopped nuts (about 3/4 cup) or granulated sugar.
Place on baking sheet and press thumb into center of each.
Bake 10-12 minutes.
Fill cooled thumbprints with tinted confectioner's sugar icing, candied cherries, or jelly.

Makes about 3 dozen

Chocolate Fruit Drops

Fruits and nuts and chocolate, too.

1/2 cup soft shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (2 oz.) melted and cooled
3/4 cup buttermilk or sour milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 3/4 cups sifted bread flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon soda
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup cut-up dates
1 cup cut candied cherries

Mix well the shortening, sugar and egg
Add chocolate
Stir in buttermilk and vanilla
Sift together and stir in flour, salt, and soda
Stir in nuts, dates and cherries
Chill
Heat oven to 375 degrees
Drop teaspoonfuls about 2 inches apart on an ungreased baking sheet
Bake 10-12 minutes, just until the light touch with finger leaves no imprint
Frost cool cookies
Makes 5-6 dozen

Pride of Minnesota Cookies

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 cup shortening
2 eggs
1 cup coconut
3 cups rolled oats
2 coups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup nutmeats

• Beat eggs
• Add sugar and softened shortening
• Mix well
• Add coconut, nutmeats and vanilla
• Sift and measure flour and add soda, salt, and baking powder
• Sift together and add to first mixture
• Add rolled oats and mix thoroughly
• Roll into small balls the size of walnuts
• Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes

Aunt Kitty's Kocoa Koffee Bars

1 Tablespoon instant coffee
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2/3 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa (unsweetened)
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup nuts, chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Grease an 8x8 inch pan.
• Melt butter or margarine in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in sugar and vanilla until blended.
• Beat in egg.
• Gradually add flour, instant coffee, cocoa, and baking powder.
• Stir until well blended.
• Add nuts.
• Spread batter in pan.
• Bake 30 minutes.
• Makes 16 2-inch Kocoa Koffee Bars

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Makes 10 to 12 servings

4 1/2 quarts chicken stock
1 1/2 pounds chicken, cooked and chopped into small dice
1 onion, diced
4 teaspoons thyme
4 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons oregano
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1/2 cup diced ham, optional
1 quart cream
4 cups cooked wild rice
1/2 cup toasted sliced almonds

• In large pot, combine chicken stock, chicken, oregano, onion, thyme, garlic and pepper. 
• Bring to a boil.
• In small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
• Sprinkle with flour.
• Cook, stirring with whisk or fork, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until mixture is golden.
• Add to stock mixture
• Reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add carrots, celery and ham.
• Simmer for 10 minutes.
• Add cream
• Return to boil.
• Remove from heat.
• Stir in wild rice and almonds.
• Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Norwegian Fruit Soup

1 pound prunes
1 cup raisins
1 lemon, cut in half
3 sticks cinnamon
1 cup chopped apricots (optional)
1/2 pound large pearl tapioca
3/4 cup sugar
Small bottle grape juice

Combine prunes, lemons, raisins, cinnamon and apricots in enough water to cover.
Cook in pressure cooker for 15 minutes or in small saucepan until tender.
Soak tapioca in water to cover overnight.
In morning, put tapioca in large kettle and simmer until clear in about 2 1/2 quarts water.
Add sugar.
Put fruit in cooked tapioca.
Heat together well but do not boil.
Add grape juice when mixture is cooled.