As many of you have read before, I lost my mom in October. She was MRS. CHRISTMAS and the "keeper of the holidays" as my husband likes to say. My grandma has some of her Christmas cookie recipes, but not all of them. I haven't had a chance to go through my mom's recipes yet so maybe I will eventually find the one we are looking for, but on Thanksgiving we started talking about her Christmas cookies and no one could remember the name or recipe of one I really like. It is kind of a cross between a shortbread and pie crust, very flaky. She would shape them into small log shapes and dip them in sugar and cinnamon. They just melted in your mouth. Anyone know or recognize that cookie?
I found my mom's recipe! She called them "Cinnamon Sticks" and they are mostly butter, shortening, sugar and flour, plus cinnamon on the outside. Sounds healthy, huh? I was at the house last night and she has boxes and boxes of recipes on index cards, but (unlike me) they were very well organized and I found all of her old Christmas cookie recipes, including this one. I had told my dad I wanted to look through the recipe boxes for Christmas cookies. He told me there were too many and I'd never find it, wasn't worth the time, etc. I told him I wanted this recipe in particular and he paused, smiled and slowly said, "Those are good." Success! I must find joy in the little things right now.
Since you can make these in any shape, maybe it's these:
http://allrecipes.com/recipe/biscochitos-traditional-cook...
This place has more Christmas cookie recipes than I ever knew existed:
http://www.christmas-cookies.com/
No, I'm sorry, I don't. But if you have any ideas about your family's heritage, you might try looking up recipes from that history. There are lots of Christmassy cookies that hail from German roots, I believe. Maybe you can find it that way?
For example: http://www.google.com/search?q=german+christmas+cookies&a...
Maybe something like this? http://www.jamieoliver.com/bloggers/viewtopic.php?id=28067
I am not sure of the cookie, But wanted to say how truelly sorry I am. You have really inspired me with your will to keep her cookies and her christmas spirit going. I cannot imagine the pain of losing your mom. Happy Holiday's!
I'm so sorry about your mother but I am happy to hear you want to make her cookies. You can keep the traditions going!
The cookies sound familiar.
Go to Allrecipes.com & type in a few of the key ingredients. It should pop up a few different recipes that you can skim through. Hope you find it. Good luck!
could this be them?
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Piggies-Sugar-and-Cinnamon-P...
Here it is .. she offers a traditional version as well as a vegan.
http://cupcakesandkale.blogspot.com/2011/12/cinnamon-suga...
So sorry to hear of your loss.
My old childhood sitter used to make a pastry that was actually fried tortilla dough and then she sprinkled cinnamon and sugar on them. They were very light and would crumble if you were not careful. I guess if you shaped them thicker they would be a thicker pastry. They would kind of blow air bubbles and that is why they seemed so light.
Sorry to hear about your mother's passing.
I have a very similar recipe, but not exact. I have listed it below. You could probably swap out the confectioner's sugar for the sugar/cinnamon mixture you mention and also eliminate the walnuts from the dough. I have seen the recipe you mention in various holiday baking magazines down through the years, but unfortunately I have not saved it. You could Google under crescent cookies.
BTW, this recipe is the favorite of everyone:
Walnut Crescents:
1 Cup softened butter
Confectioner's sugar
1 and 1/2 tsp water
2 tsps vanilla
2 Cups unsifted flour
1 Cup chopped walnuts
Cream butter and 1/4 Cup confectioner's sugar with mixer.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Shape in rolls about 1/2 inch in diameter and cut in 1 inch pieces.
Put on cookie sheets and pull ends down slightly to form crescent shapes. (BTW, I usually put them on parchment on the cookie sheet to prevent breakage)
Bake at 375 degrees about 15 minutes.
While warm, roll cookies in confectioner's sugar.
Roll a second time in the sugar when cookies are cool.
Store in an airtight container. (I usually store in the refrigerator if they are going to stick around for a few days, which they generally don't).
