I don’t know about you, but one of the reasons that I enjoy
this time of year is because of all the good things to eat! Christmas cookies are my favorite. They are not only delicious but a true
tradition in our family. I remember my
grandma rolling out the dough to make the thinnest sandtarts and most
delicious, of course, and then cutting them with a favorite cookie cutter. Mine
are usually cut into shapes of a diamond, heart, angel, and stars. There has always been a competition between
sandtart makers to make the thinnest and crispiest sandtart, the thinner the
better. If you can see through the
dough, it is usually thin enough. It is
not always easy dough to work with, but it is well worth the effort.
Some
top their cookies with chopped peanuts, but like my Grandma, I prefer chopped
pecans on mine. I have made the sandtarts
by myself, but much prefer when it is a family event, someone rolling and
someone helping to cut the cookies out, someone putting egg-white wash on the
cookies and topping them off with cinnamon and the pecans. And of course there are plenty of takers when
the cookies are ready to eat! This is my
Grandma Eby’s recipe from my Aunt Edna Eby Heller’s cookbook "The Art of
Pennsylvania Dutch Cooking."
Sandtarts (makes 14
dozen)
2 cups sugar
½ pound butter
2 eggs, beaten
4 cups sifted flour
2 slightly beaten egg whites
cinnamon or cinnamon sugar
1 cup chopped nuts (peanuts, pecans, or almonds)
Cream together the sugar and the butter. Stir in the beaten eggs. Add the flour and mix thoroughly. Chill overnight. Roll out on a floured board or counter to 1/8
inch thickness or as thin as possible.
Cut into rounds, squares or rectangles and lift onto cookie sheets. Before baking, brush egg whites over the top,
sprinkle with cinnamon, then top with nuts.
Bake from 8 to 10
minutes in a 350 oven.
Submitted by: Ann Royer, Innkeeper Amanda Gish House Bed & Breakfast Elizabethtown, PA
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