Heart of the Kitchen

Stir Up Sunday White Fruitcake Recipe

This is a simple fruitcake to make and has a mild flavor.  It is a great fruitcake for people who do not like fruitcake! :)

1 3/4 cup all purpose flour

1 c. sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 c. butter, softened

1 T. vanilla extract

1 T. lemon extract

5 eggs

7 1/2 cups (total) dried fruits and nuts (I use 3 cups pecan pieces, 2 cups apricots, 2 cups dried glace cherries, 1/2 cup white raisins but you can use any combination including dark raisins, walnuts, dried glace pineapple, dried glace cranberries, etc.)

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Grease well and lightly flour either 2 eight inch cake pans or one jelly roll pan. 

Cream butter and sugar briefly.  Add flour, salt, baking powder and extracts.  Add eggs one at a time.  Then add all of dried glace fruits and nuts.  Mix all together and place in pan(s).  Bake until done 30-60 minutes on two eight inch pans, 20 minutes on the jellyroll pan.  Done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cut into rectangular/square pieces the size of an average brownie.

Serves 16.  I make a double batch and store in tins until Christmas.

Ok, who am I kidding.  About half of it makes it until Christmas and the rest is eaten throughout Advent. :)

Advent Sugar Cookies for Week 2

I usually make a couple batches of this dough so that each person in the family can have one cookie per night during the second week of Advent devotions.  This dough does not need chilled before cutting out.

3c. sifted flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp.  baking soda

1 c. butter or butter flavored shortening

2 eggs

1 c. sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Sift dry ingredients together.  Cut in shortening as for pie crust.  Beat eggs, add sugar and beat well.  Blend egg mixture into flour mixture.  Roll out to 1/8 " thickness on floured board or counter.  Cut and lift with spatula to ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 6-8 minutes.  When done, remove very carefully and cool on a wire rack.  Be especially careful with the key and scepter cookies as they break very easily.  Store in a tin for use during the week.

Here are the patterns for the cookies to be cut into freehand with a knife (make at least one per family member) or use cutters if you have these shapes. 

Sunday (Day 8): Crown

Monday (Day 9): Rose

Tuesday (Day 10): Scepter

Wednesday (Day 11):Rising Sun

Thursday (Day 12): Key

Friday (Day 13):  Star

Saturday (Day 14): Lamb

Grandma Fitch’s Kolachi

Also called Kolachki, Kolacky, Kolachy, Kolace, Kolache, Kolachke

4-5 cups flour

1 lb. butter

1/2 tsp. salt

4 egg yolks

2 TBS lemon juice

1 yeast cake

1 cup warm milk

Fruit Fillings (Grandma usually used Solo Brand): Prune, Apricot, Strawberry, Pineapple, but you will still have to make your own poppy seed and walnut (see below)

Make your own fillings as follows:

Apricot-1 1/2 cups dried apricots, 1/2 c. sugar, 1/2 tsp. vanilla, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon.  Cover with water and simmer for about 1/2 hr. Mash and cool for filling.

Nuts- 1/2 lb. finely chopped walnuts plus honey to bind

Pineapple-1 can crushed pineapple, 1 1/2 TBLS. cornstarch, Combine, cook until thick and cool.

Poppy Seed-1 lb. Poppy Seed, 2 cups scalded milk, 1 1/4 c. sugar.  Mix together, allow milk to be absorbed, ready when cool.

Prune (Lekvar)-1 1/2 cups prunes, pitted, 2/3 cup water, 1 tsp. lemon zest, 3 TBLS lemon juice, 1/2 cup brown sugar. Simmer all ingredients except sugar until soft (about half an hour).  Mash, stir in brown sugar.  Cool.

Dissolve yeast cake in warm milk.

Beat egg yolks, add to milk and yeast once bubbly.  Add lemon juice.  Combine flour and salt.  Blend liquid milk/yeast/lemon juice mixture with flour mixture.  Work until dough is smooth.  Put in refrigerator for two hours.  Sprinkle sugar on board.  Roll out dough like pie crust thickness.  Cut into approximately 2-2 1/2 inch squares with wet knife or pizza cutter.  Add small spoonful of filling and fold opposite corners.  It is important not to add too much filling or it will overflow and burn.   Bake in 350 degree oven until ever so lightly golden brown (I don't remember the amount of cooking time, probably about 15 minutes-just watch the color)  Cool on sheet for a minute or two, then on rack.

Makes about twelve dozen.  Enjoy!

I will post photos as soon as I make these again this season.

St. Martinmas Horseshoe Cookies

1 c. butter

1/2 c. powdered sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. salt

1 c. quick oats, rolled

2 c. sifted all purpose-flour

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy.  Stir in vanilla, flour and salt.  Blend in rolled oats. 

Roll out to 1/4 inch thick on floured board.  Cut in strips six inches lon and 1/2 inch wide.  On ungreased cookie sheet, shape strips to resemble horseshoes.  Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes.  Remove carefully, as they break easily.  Makes three dozen.

Recipe from The Cook's Blessing, Random House