Butter Bowtie Cookies

CHRUSCIKI (Polish Fried Cookies)

Makes 4 dozen cookies

• 1     Cup all-purpose flour
• 1     Tablespoon sugar
• 3     Large egg yolks
• 3     Tablesoons sour cream
• 1     Tablespoon vodka or whiskey
•        Vegetable oil
• 2- 2/3 Cups powedered sugar

1. Place flour and sugar in medium bowl; stir to combine. Make well in center of flour mixture; add egg yolks, sour cream and vodka. Stir with spoon until soft dough forms.
2. Place dough into 2 discs; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, 30 minutes or overnight.
3. Working with 1 disc at a time, unwrap dough and place on lightly floured surface. Roll out dough with lightly floured rollling pin to 1/8 -inch-thick (12 x 10-inch) rectangle. Cut dough lengthwise in half; cut each half into 12 strips.
4. Make 1-inch vertical slit down center of each strip. Insert one end of strip through cut to form twist; repeat with remaining strips.
5. Heat oil in large saucepan to 375 degrees F. Place 6 strips at a time into hot oil. Fry about 1 minute or until golden brown, turning cookies once with slotted spoon. Drain on paper towels.
6. Place 1/3 cup powdered sugar in small brown paper bad. Add 6 warm cookies at a time; close bag and shake until cookies are coated with sugar. Repeat with additional sugar and remaining cookies. Cookies are best when served immediately, but can be stored in airtight container 1 day.

POLISH CHEESECAKE

Makes 10 servings

Crust:

• 1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Filling:

• 2 pounds farmers cheese
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 teaspoon flour
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/8 teasoon salt

1. Prepare crust: Combine graham cracker crumbs, sugar, butter and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Mix until well-blended and mixture resembles wet sand. Press it into a 9-inch springform pan. Bake in a preheated 350-degree oven for 9 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack.
2. Make the filling: In a large mixing bowl, mash farmers cheese well with a fork or potato masher. Add sugar, eggs, flour, whipping cream, vanilla extract and salt. Mix with a fork until combined. Pour filling into prepared crust.
3. Bake in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Turn oven off and leave cake in the oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 3 hours. Chill for several hours before serving.

 Piernikowa Krajanka Swiateczna (Polish Honey Bars)

Makes 32 bars

• 1/2 cup sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons boiling water
• 1/3 cup honey
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons cold water
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Chocolate Filling (recipe follows)

• 1 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 32 whole toasted almonds

1. Combine 2 tablespoons sugar and boiling water in small heavy saucepan over medium heat; stir until disolved and slightly brown. Add remaining sugar, honey, margarine, allspice, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg; bring to a boil over high heat, stirring consantly. Remove saucepan from heat; pour mixture into medium bowl. Cool.
2. Add flour, cold water, egg and baking soda to cooled sugar mixture; stir with spoon until well blended. Cover; let stand 20 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 15x10 inch jelly-roll pan; set aside. Roll out dough on llightly floured surface with lightly floured rolling pin to almost fit size of pan. Press dough evenly into pan to edges. Bake 10 to 13 minutes or until dough springs back when lightly touched in center. Remove pan to wire rack; cool completely.
4. To remove cookie base from pan, run knife aroudn edge of cookie base to loosen it from sides of pan. Place wire rack top side down over pan; flip rack and pan over together. Cookie base should drop out of pan onto rack. Cut cookie base in half to form two rectangles.
5. Prepare Chocolate filling; spread evenly over 1 rectangle. Top with other rectangle, flat side up. Wrap cookie sandwich in plastic wrap. Place baking sheet on top of cookie sandwich; place heavy cans or other weights on baking sheet to press sandwich layers together. Let cookie sandwich stand overnight.
6. When cookie is ready to frost, melt chocolate chips in 2-cup glass measure in microwave at MEDIUM (50% power) 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Dip wide part of each almond into chocolate; place dipped almonds on wax paper to set.
7. Remove weights and baking sheet from cookie sandwich; unwrap. Spread remaining melted chocolate over top. Before chocolate sets, score top of cookie sandwich into 32 bars. Place 1 dipped almond on each bar. (If chocolate has set, it may be necessary to reheat almonds in microwave for a few seconds.) Let stand at room temperature until set; cut into bars.

Chocolate Filling (Makes about 1 cup filling)

• 1/4 cup whipping cream
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup natural almonds, toasted and ground
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Heat cream and chocolate chips in small saucepan over medium heat until melted and smooth, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; stir in almonds, 1/2 cup powdered sugar and vanilla with spoon. Stir in additional powdered sugar until filling is stiff enough to spread.

PACZKI (Polish Donuts)

• 900g flour
• 500 ml lukewarm water
• 50g dried yeast or 100g fresh yeast
• 200 ml sunflower oil
• salt
• flour for sprinkling
• oil for deep-frying
• caster or icing sugar for dredging

Mix half the flour iwth 250ml of lukewarm water and the yeast. Leave to rise in a warm place fro 20 minutes. When it begins to rise, mix the remaining flour and water and the sunflower oil. Sprinle a little salt on the dough and knead until it becomes moist. Sprinkle lightly with flour and leave to rise and dry in a warm area for 30 minutes. When you press the dough with your finger and it springs back immediately, it is ready to fry.

Pull off pieces of dough and shape into donuts. Set aside. Heat oil in deep frying pan until very hot and drop the donuts into it. Fry until nicely browned on all sides. When cooked, they should feel light when pricked with a toothpick. Drain on kitchen paper. Pile up the donuts in a bowl and dredge with a little sugar. Serve warm. Make approximately 16 donuts.

MEDIANYK (Honey Cake)

• 4oz butter
• 4 lg eggs
• 14 oz honey
• 14 oz unbleached all-purpose flour (3 cups)
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp baking powder

Cream the butter and separate the eggs. Add the room temperature yolks, one at a time, to the butter and beat well. Mix in the honey. Sift the flour, baking powder, and spices twice and add to the butter mixture. Whip the egg whites until stiff. Fold a little of the egg whites into the batter, then add the rest of them, folding them gently into the batter. Pour the batter into a buttered and floured loaf pan. Bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven until firm on top and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. Cool in the pan, for 10 minutes. Then remove and finish cooling on a wire rack.

 MEDIANYKY (HONEY COOKIES)

4 c unbleached all-purpose flour
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 ts ground cloves
1/2 ts ground ginger
1/2 ts ground nutmeg
1 c  powdered sugar
2 ts baking powder
2 extra large eggs
1 c honey
2 tb chopped orange peel
1 lg egg, beaten with a little water for glazing
20 blanched almonds
coarse sugar crystals

Sift the flour, spices, sugar, and baking powder together, blending
well. Add the eggs, honey, and orange peel to make a soft dough.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough to about 1/2-inch
thick.  Cut into shapes with cookie cutters, and place on a lightly
greased or non-stick cookie sheet, brushing each one with the egg
wash glaze.  Place 1/2 of an almond in the top center of each cookie
and sprinkle with the sugar crystals. Bake in a preheated 350 Degree
F. oven until done, about 15 minutes.  Cool on wire racks and store
in airtight tins.

Pierniki (Polish Spice Cookies)
Yield: 1 Servings

Ingredients

      1 c  honey
      4 c  flour pinch of black pepper
    1/2 ts cinnamon
    1/2 ts nutmeg
    1/2 ts cloves
    1/2 ts allspice
      4    eggs
      1 c  sugar
      1 ts soda, dissolved in a little
           -water

Instructions

Heat the honey until it boils, then allow it to cool to lukewarm.
Sift the flour with the spices. Beat the eggs with the sugar until
thick. Add the soda, the honey, and the flour. Mix well. Roll out the
dough on a lightly floured board to 1/4-inch thickness. Cut cookies
in whatever shapes you like.

Bake them on buttered sheets in a 350F oven for about 10 to 15
minutes, or until just lightly browned. The Pierniki may be
decorated with a thin glaze made of confectioners' sugar, water,
almond or vanilla extract, and a drop of food coloring.