You might have heard of the popular website and cookbook collection Mennonite Girls Can Cook, but this Mennonite girl (rather, woman) is a family secret. Let me introduce you to Dorothy Friesen the prolific source of all my familys Mennonite baking and one of her decadent holiday cookie recipes.
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown or yellow sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
3 1/2 cup flour
Mix first five ingredients. Add eggs, salt and baking soda and beat well. Gradually add the flour and mix until well blended.
Refrigerate dough overnight (or for at least one hour) for better handling. Roll out portions of the dough on well-floured counter to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out half of the dough with small round cookie cutter, then the other half with the same round cutter, but cut out a centre (like a doughnut), with a smaller cutter (a lipstick tube works well).
Place all on cookie sheets, and bake at 325-350F for about 8 minutes. Watch carefully, as they brown quickly.
Loosen on pans, cool and put your favourite jam on the whole ones, topping with the doughnut-shaped cookies, so the jam peeks out through the hole.
As for gifts, if you dont have time to bake for your foodie friends, the MGCC cookbooks are a gateway to a whole new ethno-culinary adventure; $20, most book stores. MennoniteGirlsCanCook.ca.
