Valentine Sweets for Your Sweetheart

 I come from a long line of cookie bakers. Both my grandmothers possessed ‘secret’ recipes for sweets guaranteed to find their way to a man’s heart and to charm children into doing one’s bidding without complaint. 

My grandmothers’ grandmothers passed the recipes down to them from the last century. I’m convinced that, if I could inspect my pilgrim ancestor’s meager luggage to see what she’d brought to the New World, I’d find Ye Olde Book of Biscuit Recipes. (Outside of North America, the English word for one of these sweet treats is biscuit.)

For Valentine’s Day, I’m sharing one of these ancestral recipes with you. I got this magic formula from my mother, who got it from her mother, my Grandma McCloskey. I can testify to its soul-mate-landing potency. I’ve been married more years than some of you have been alive. (Bonus tip: My kids would do anything to earn one of these cookies!)

Grandma McCloskey’s Sugar Cookies

3 cups flour                            1 cup shortening

1 tsp. baking powder             3 eggs

¼ tsp. salt                              1 tsp. vanilla

1 ¼ cups sugar

Sift dry ingredients together. Cut in shortening with a fork. Add unbeaten eggs and flavoring. Roll out very thin on floured board and cut with floured cutter. Bake 375ºF for 8 minutes.

Those early bakers were sparse with the instructions, weren’t they? We always dust the rolled dough with cinnamon and either white sugar or colored baking sprinkles. Roll lightly afterwards with your rolling pin to set. Or you can frost them. Get creative!

Now dust off your heart-shaped cookie cutters and prepare to be adored!

© Sarah Raplee, 2012. All rights reserved