Holiday Cookie Exchange #3
I knew that this weekend was going to be very busy for me and that my car was going to be in the shop all day yesterday, so I figured that yesterday was the perfect time to bake. I had visions of the perfect little cookie to showcase for all my efforts. Well, we all know that good intensions can go horribly off course. Yesterday almost turned out like that. The best thing to do when the vision in your head is one thing and what is turning out not to match, is to make adjustments or lower your expectations. I am better at trying to make an adjustment then lowering my expectation, so that's how this went yesterday.
This entry for the Holiday Cookie Exchange hosted by Dawn at SoCal Foodie, will kill two birds with one stone. I glanced at Beth's blog Zen Foodism and noticed there was yet another event going on. There is a challenge to get out your oldest cookbook and make something from it. It just so happens that this cookie recipe is from my very first cookbook I ever owned. It's the Farm Journal's Country Cookbook . This recipe came from that tattered book. I love this book because it has so many old fashioned comfort food recipes. It has helped me to learn how to cook through the years.

This cookie recipe has driven me nuts every time I make it, but I keep trying and this year was no different. If I would make nuts that reminded about the changes I should have made this year, I wouldn't be frustrated at the turn out! So since I am sitting here doing this I will make notations in the book about my adjustments. UGH! Okay here we go.

First you sift all the dry ingredients. I never usually sift things but since I was trying this the way the recipe said, I sifted. Then...you add the rest of the ingredients except the egg. It says to use a pastry cutter. I just happened to have one but I think since it's a dry dough like pie dough before water, I would just use my fingers to break up the butter and incorporate the dry ingredients. If you like gadgets, use the pastry cutter. Fingers do work well though!

The recipe says to put a heaping half teaspoon on a heavily greased cookie sheet. I tried that several times and had a devil of a time getting them off the cookie sheet. Instead, I used parchment paper. Then once the cookies had cooled for about two or three minutes, I just peeled them off the parchment paper and used it for the next batch. These cookies are very crisp around the edges, fragile and then chewy in the middle.
Walnut Lace Cookies
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar (firmly packed)
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 cup walnuts, chopped
Sift together dry ingredients.
Blend butter, brown sugar and sifted dry ingredients with a pastry blender as for pie crust. Add egg and mix thoroughly. Stir in walnuts (instead of just chopping them by hand, it works better if you use a mini chopper of some kind and get them small and not too chunky).
Drop thin batter by half teaspoonfuls about 2" apart (they are not kidding-they really do spread) onto a heavily greased baking sheet. Bake in a moderate oven (375 degrees) 5-6 minutes. Remove from baking sheet at once and cool on racks. Makes about 5 1/2 dozen cookies (Good Luck!).