(2 parts)

Dough:
 
• 2 1/2 cups sifted flour
• pinch salt
• 2 TBSP baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg yolk (save the white)
• 1 tsp almond extract
Glaze:
 
• 1 egg white (told you!)
• 1 2/3 cup confectioner's sugar
• more almond extract (opt)
Decor:
• Candied fruit, chopped nuts, colored sugar crystals, etc etc
Dough:

Mix the dry ingredients, cut in the shortening, then add the egg milk and extract
(I usually just throw it all in the  bread maker and let it do the work)

Knead into a ball and refridgerate for 15 mins or longer.

Prepare the glaze: beat the egg white till foamy, beat in the sugar.

Roll the dough out flat (on a floured board) and cut with cookie cutters.

Lay the cookie shapes onto a cookie sheet (spray with non-stick spray helps) Paint with the glaze, decorate with decor,

Bake at 350 for 10 mins until slightly brown.

store in a dry place.

might make 5 dozen.
 

Almond Macaroon Cookies
 

• 1 package (6-8 oz) Almond Paste
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 egg whites
Beat the eggs till foamy
add sugar gradually while beating till smooth
add almond paste and beat till smooth, it might help to soften the almond paste by warming.

Line cookie sheets with waxed paper.

Drop the "dough" by the spoonful onto the waxed paper.

Bake at 300 to 315 for 20 to 30 mins until slightly brown.

lift the waxed paper and moisten the back of the paper by touching the paper into a shallow pan of cool water. then remove the cookies and set them on a cooling rack.

It appears as though the sugar in the cookies "glues" onto the baking surface and the water dissolves it.

My mother sometimes uses tin foil.

this makes maybe 24 cookies.
 

Merengue Cookies

• 3 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• almond or vanilla extract if desired
• food color if desired
• chopped nuts or something else... if desired.
line cookie sheets with aluminum foil

beat the egg white till stiff

add 1/2 cup sugar and beat well add extract or color if desired.

add remaining sugar by "folding it in"

spoon the merengue onto the foil

sprinkle with nuts or place the drop of meringue onto a small amount of nuts. Colored sugar etc on top is OK too.

bake at 250 for 2.5 to 3 hours check carefully, they may need more or less time, they should be white tho crisp.

or:

After baking some other cookies, make these, put them in the oven, turn the oven off and go to bed.
 

Shoo-fly Pie
(its so sweet you have to shoo the flies away!)

Liquid:

• 3/4 cup unsulphered molasses
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 cup boiling water

Crumbs:

• 1.5 cups flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup softened butter

Pie crust, 9-10"

Dissolve baking soda in water and add molasses; Stir well  and set aside
Combine the crumb ingredients, it ends up with the consistancy of corn meal

Pour in 1/3 liquid, then 1/3 crumbs, alternate layers, finish with crumbs on top.

Bake at 300F for  30-35 minutes (we used to use 1 hour in Florida/Pennsylvania), watch carefully for the last 15 minutes, the time seems to vary with location (humidity? oven temp?)
 

insert next favorite here....