In addition to offering beautiful knitting patterns, every issue of Laine includes recipes, sometimes from other cultures, sometimes to showcase Scandinavia. I love food traditions and in my family, December is the month in which food revolves around my Swedish heritage. We eat lutefisk on Christmas Eve (yes, I do enjoy it--for those who don't know, it's a dried cod that suffers many jokes--Smithsonian magazine shares why), as well as pickled herring, but no December is complete without cookie baking.
Since so many enjoy baking cookies, I thought I'd share my version of a Scandinavian sugar cookie recipe. Enjoy!
Dried Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies
1 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 t. vanilla
1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking powder
1/2 c. dried Morency cherries
1/2 c. dark chocolate chips
Pre-heat oven to 350° F. Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla. Combine dry ingredients and then mix them into the butter mixture. Stir in cherries and dark chocolate chips. Chill in freezer for about 1/2 hour to harden the dough and then scoop by the teaspoonful onto a cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just golden at the edges and underneath, but still a bit soft to touch in the middle. Cookies continue 'baking' once out of the oven, so be careful not to overbake. Cool on wire wrack. Makes roughly 2 dozen small cookies. Enjoy with coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. Coffee is another Scandinavian/Swedish-American tradition . . . 4 o'clock coffee anyone?
Until next time, find joy in making! -- Amy