THE AMISH COOK
BY GLORIA YODER
You’ve got to try this recipe. Every time Daniel takes a bite, healmost goes into dreamland.
My uncle, Paul, sells these homemade cookies in his store. No, we don’t spend the money actually to purchase these individually wrapped
treats. Every now and then when they have some leftovers from the weekend, they’ll pass some on to us. On some occasions, Cousin Owen,
who has been boarding with us, will purchase one for Daniel. You can imagine with Daniel being a daddy with a big heart and five little
children who also relish these cookies, he hardly ever gets the chance to eat one all by himself.
As I have told you before, I just don’t have the free time to spend in the kitchen as I used to. If I bake, I try to simplify by making bars
instead of individual cookies. Yesterday, however, when Daniel was
gone from early morning, till late at night on a business trip to Chicago, I decided this is the day to make some for him. With
permission granted from the bakery, I made a copy of their recipe and set to work. With most of the children taking naps I started mixing up
the butter and sugars.
Before long the quiet house was ringing with childish voices and eager
helpers. Jesse seems to be the one with the ‘longest fingers’ these
days. After enjoying some snuggles and cuddles with him, I put him in
the high chair with a snack. It lasted only for a spell. “I’ll have to
watch him closely,” I told myself taking him out, then carefully
sliding cookies onto the center of the table, supposedly out of
Jesse’s reach. I was merrily going my way when I discovered Jesse’s
long fingers poking holes into those perfect cookies, still soft and
warm from the oven. “Jesse, that’s a no-no,” I explained, as I got him
off the chair he had climbed onto. Feverishly I worked as swiftly as I
could, desperate to get Daddy’s cookies frosted, wrapped, and into
containers before more damage is done. Seemingly the squabbles were
ever increasing. Finally, I proposed, “Why don’t we all do or say
something extra kind for everyone.” My heart warmed, and things calmed
down a bit as ‘I love yous” were said and hugs exchanged.
Cream-filled molasses cookies
Jesse, however, had not forgotten the taste of fresh cookies and
didn’t know when enough is enough and was bound and determined to eat
all that his one-year-old hands could get into. “I’ll try the sassy
seat,” I told myself. That’s a child seat that clips onto the table
so they can watch, but supposedly not participate with the kitchen
action. Only moments later, it was evident that I really had not made
a smart move. I caught him with a long-handled spatula, trying to rake
the cookies over to his perch, or at least get Mom’s full attention.
“This is ridiculous,” I told myself, dropping the cookies and ushering
everyone into the living room where we had story time for a good while.
After resuming to my cookies, things seemed to go a bit smoother.
Julia and Austin worked on welcome home cards for Daddy, to be placed
next to the cookies for when he came home.
After a simple supper, Julia and Austin eagerly helped put everything
away in the kitchen in preparation of lighting candles, setting out
the flowers he gave me last week, and decorating the kitchen table for
Daddy’s return, including a large plate of cookies, but only after
Jesse was sound asleep in bed!
After the house was quiet, I dropped my own note on the table and
informed him that I want him to wake me up on his return.
I don’t know when I’ll be brave enough to tackle cookies again when
Daddy is gone, and I’m blessed with five helpers. We’ll see.
It was worth it all when he woke me on his return. I was thrilled to
see him, why I told him that my excitement to have him back is a lot
like it did when he lived in Ohio before we were married, and I had to
wait a couple weeks to see him; only this time we were married!
We enjoyed tea and cookies together, briefly catching up on the news
before retiring for the night.
He loved the cookies. This time I hadn’t cut back too much on sugar
and didn’t use any exceptionally healthy flour, I just wanted to treat
him to some really sweet cookies he deserved. We have this joke that
sometimes real sweet treats with lots of frosting are actually healthy
because of how well he likes them, and it makes him so happy!
Join us in mixing up a batch of your own. Be sure to pass a couple on
to your mailman, neighbors, or whoever.
By the way, I’m not sure whether I was foolish enough or brave enough
to try for another batch of cookies. Yesterday when Julia told me that
she would like to make some peanut butter cookies I just didn’t have
the heart to say no. Well, we were all quite relieved when the last
cookies were all safely stowed away- actually no, they didn’t all make
it safely, some got shredded by long fingers we all love dearly.
- 1 ¼ cup brown sugar
- 1 ¼ cup white sugar
- 1 ½ cup shortening
- 2 eggs
- 4 teaspoons soda dissolved in ½ cup milk
- ½ cup cane molasses
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 4 ¾ cup flour
- CREAM CHEESE FILLING
- cream cheese
- butter, softened
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- FOR THE COOKIES: Cream together sugars and shortening. Add eggs, blend and add molasses and milk with soda. Mix well then add dry ingredients and blend together. Chill a couple hours, shape into balls then roll into sugar if desired, place on cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until set.
- FOR THE FILLING:
- Cream together cream cheese and butter, add powdered sugar and vanilla. Spread between two cookies, sandwich style.
