Mmm...cookies!

Hello my blogosphere!

Today I was enlisted into Mommy's baking army. We're preparing for an engagemnt party for my brother and his lovely fiancé. The menu is to include (everything is homemade): spinach dip in a bread bowl with fresh vegetables, chili cheese puffs, Romanian Chimichuri on garlic toast (think bruschetta), fuzzy navel cake, Finnish bridal cookies, mini chocolate berry meringues, trifle, chocolate peanutbutter swirl bars, assorted other cookies and fresh fruit. Those last 4 items are contributions from the bride's family.

I was in charge of the Finnish bridal cookies. And I'm pleased to say that after years of enjoying these sweet treats, I finally know that they are not, in fact, called FINISHED bridal cookies. But, that is what they will be called once the guests gobble them down (thanks to my baking expertise...just kidding).

Below is a picture of my batch of deliciousness, as well as the recipe so that you can make them too.

 

The recipe comes from the book 1001 cookie recipes by Gregg R. Gillespie.

Ingredients:

 2 ½c all-purpose flour   

¼ tsp salt 

1c vegetable shortening

½c granulated sugar

1 large egg yolk

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp grated lemon zest

Jam or preserves (try seedless raspberry!)

Directions:

 1) Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

2) Combine flour and salt.

3) In large bowl, cream the vegetable shortening and sugar. Beat in the egg yolk and vanilla extract. Beat in the lemon zest. Gradually blend in dry ingredients.

4) Divide the dough in half. Shape each piece into a 16in long log and place the logs 1in apart on baking sheet. With the back of a knife, cut a ½in-deep slit down the length of each log (or, just do what I did: make a depression in the log, down its length, with your finger).

5) Bake for 10 mins. Spoon the jam/preserves into the slit in each log and bake for 8-10 minutes longer, until lightly colored.

Once these babies are done, drizzle on some homemade icing! Here's the recipe (from the same book):

Ingredients:

½ c powdered sugar

1 Tbsp water

Directions:

1) Once cookies are cooled, drizzle the icing over the tops of the logs and cut the logs on a 45° angle into 1in slices.

(My mom has this cool trick for drizzling icing: pour the icing into one corner of a plastic baggie, twist, and cut a small hole at the tip. Now you've got your own icing-squeezer-outer-thing!)

Sincerely Sophie

Comments

[Mom]

Photographer, musician, blogger, poet, baker - a Renaissance woman!

[A Twitter User]

They look great. I tried to make them by myself once and it was an EPIC FAIL. I can't believe you thought they were called "finished bridal cookies." You never cease to make me smile :)

[Donna]

Looks yummy! You are a natural at this blogging thing!!! (not to mention the baking thing!!)