Scottish Shortbread

¾ cup margarine or butter, softened
¼ cup sugar
2 cups all purpose flour

Heat oven to 350º.  Mix all ingredients. If dough is crumbly, mix in 1 to 2 tablespoons margarine or butter, softened.  Roll dough about ½ inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into small shapes (ovals, squares, triangles). Place about ½ inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake until set, about 20 minutes. Immediately remove from cookie sheet.  Makes about 2 dozen

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Cream margarine; add sugar and eggs; beat well.  Add molasses and vanilla. Sift together the dry ingredients and add to creamed mixture.  Add nuts.  Dough will be thick.  Mold into 4 rolls.  Refrigerate overnight.  Cut into thin slices.  Bake at 350º for 8-10 minutes until brown. Makes 10 dozen.

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Russian Tea Cakes

1 cup margarine or butter, softened
½ cup powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
¾ cup finely chopped nuts
powdered sugar

Heat oven to 400º.  Mix margarine, ½ cup powdered sugar and the vanilla.  Mix in flour and nuts until dough holds together. Shape dough into 1-inch balls.  Place about 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.  Bake until set but not brown, 10-12 minutes. Roll in powdered sugar while warm; cool. Roll in powdered sugar again. Makes about 4 dozen.

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Dutch Bars

1 cup butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp. almond extract
2 cups flour
1 egg white
½ almonds, slivered
1 tbsp sugar
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Beat butter and sugar together until fluffy.  Add egg yolk and almond extract and blend thoroughly.  Stir in flour.  Pat dough into greased 10 x 15 inch jelly roll pan.  Beat egg white until foamy; spread evenly over dough.  Spread almonds over the top.  Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle on top.  Bake 20-25 minutes in a 350º oven.  Cool 10 minutes.  Cut lengthwise cuts,
then 12 diagonal cuts.  Cool.

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Italian Rosettes

3 eggs
½ cup sugar
½ stick butter
1 tsp. baking powder
flour

Mix with enough flour to make a soft dough.  Roll out thin and cut into strips.  Every so often, pinch this strip about ½ inch, then start with a circle movement and make it look like a rose.  Fry in hot oil until golden brown.  Set on paper towel to get extra oil off and store.  When ready to serve, sprinkle with crushed walnuts and honey.  Heat the honey; it makes it easier to spread with a spoon in all the grooves.  Sprinkle  nuts.  Powder sugar can be used instead.

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Cream together butter and cream cheese. Leave at room temperature about 2 hours. Sprinkle with milk lightly on mixture. Roll dough into a ball.  Divide into two.  Wrap dough in plastic wrap; flatten like a patty and refrigerate. Dough must be cold to roll out.  Take out only a half a patty at a
time to roll. Roll dough on pastry cloth sprinkled with flour.  Cut dough into 2-inch squares. Put 1 teaspoon of prune, apricot or strawberry filling in the center of each square. Fold in opposite ends to make diamond shape.  Bake at 350º for 10 minutes, only until bottom of cookies are lightly
browned. Remove from cookie sheet immediately and roll in confectioners sugar.  Makes about 4 dozen.

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Greek Baklava

Walnut mixture:
      1 lb walnuts (chopped)         
                        ½ cup sugar                             
                   ½ tsp cinnamon                      
2 crushed melba toasts

1 lb. phyllo
Approx . 3 sticks butter

Syrup mixture: 2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla
1 little lemon juice

Mix top 4 ingredients. Lay about 6 sheets phyllo in pan, brushing every 2nd sheet with melted butter and allowing sheets to curve part-way up sides of pan.  Sprinkle with a layer of walnut mixture.  Add a few sheets phyllo again, brushing with butter.  Add another layer of the walnut mixture until
you have used all the walnut mixture.  Put a layer of 6 unbroken phyllo on top and tuck the edges in with phyllo edge of butter knife.  With very sharp knife, cut into squares, then each square diagonally.  Bake in 325 oven for 1 hour.  Cool completely several hours an soak with syrup. 

Syrup: Combine ingredients above for syrup mixture. Bring to a boil. Continue to stir and simmer for approximately 5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.  Pour a little at a time over baklava, coating evenly.

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Romanian Kifles

Dough:2 pkgs. dry yeast, combined with ½ cup warm water
2 cups Crisco
1 tsp. salt
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
6 tbsp. sugar
6 cups flour
1 small carton sour cream (8oz)
Nut filling:  1 lb chopped nuts (walnut)
½ tsp. cinnamon (optional)
milk (enough to make a thick paste)
1 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Czechoslovakian Cookies

German Lebkucken

Brown sugar mixture:
1 egg
¾ cup brown sugar (packed)
½ cup honey
½ cup dark molasses
Flour mixture:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp ground ginger
¼ tsp ground cardamon

½ cup chopped almonds
½ cup mixed candied fruits & peels (finely chopped)

Lemon Glaze:
1 ½ cups powdered sugar
1 tbsp. butter or margarine (melted)
1 tbsp lemon juice

Beat egg; add brown sugar and beat together until fluffy.  Add honey & molasses. Beat well. Mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, cloves, ginger, and cardamon in large bowl.  Add brown sugar mixture.  Stir by hand; mixture will be stiff. Stir in almonds and candied fruits & peels.  Cover and chill for several hours until easy to handle.  Divide dough in half.  Roll each half on a floured surface to a 12 x 8 inch rectangle.  Cut into 2-inch squares.  Place on a greased cookie sheet 2 inches apart.  Bake at 350º, 8-10 minutes or till edges are set.  Slightly Cool. Brush cookies with Lemon Glaze while warm. (Combine all lemon glaze ingredients; add water 3-4 tsp. to make a drizzle consistency.) Garnish cookies with additional candied fruits and peels. allow glaze to dry. Place in a container and allow to sit for up to 7 days to allow flavor to mellow.

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German Springerle

Beat eggs until light and fluffy. Add sugar and beat for 15 minutes. Do not overbeat. Fold in anise extract and flour. Roll dough ⅜ inch thick. Flour mold or rolling pin. Press molds firmly to dough. Place cookies on greased and floured cookie sheet. Let dry overnight at room temperature, covered with paper towels.  Preheat oven to 375º, then  place cookies in oven and immediately reduce temperature to 300º. Bake for 15 minutes. Cookies should not brown. Store for 2-3 weeks to mellow flavor. Paint designs with egg yolk colored with food coloring.

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